CARI’s Political Team is celebrating the primary victories of fully 13 of our 18 endorsed candidates — including CARI’s own former President Kendra Anderson! It’s a Green Wave!
Congratulations to these victorious climate champions:
Rhode Island House of Representatives:
- David Morales in House District 7 (Providence) — defeated an incumbent
- Teresa Tanzi in House District 34 (Narragansett, S. Kingstown)
- Leonela Felix in House District 61 (Pawtucket) — defeated an incumbent
- Brianna Henries in House District 64 (E. Providence) — defeated an incumbent
- Michelle McGaw in House District 71 (Little Compton / Portsmouth / Tiverton) — crushed an insider in an open seat
- Terri Cortvriend in House District 72 (Middletown/Portsmouth)
- Deb Ruggiero in House District 74 (Jamestown/Middletown)
Rhode Island State Senate:
- Sam Bell in Senate District 5 (Providence) — trounced the City Council majority leader
- Meghan Kallman in Senate District 15 (Pawtucket / N. Providence) — won an open seat
- Cynthia Mendes in Senate District 18 (E. Providence / Pawtucket) — defeated the Senate Finance Chair
- Jeanine Calkin in Senate District 30 (Warwick) — reclaimed her seat from the incumbent while propelling the whole RI Cooperative slate
- Kendra Anderson in Senate District 31 (Warwick) — won a four-way race against better-financed opponents
- Alana DiMario in Senate District 36 (Narragansett / N. Kingstown) — won an open seat
To our endorsed climate champions who didn’t quite make it — Miguel Torres, Melinda Lopez, Lenny Cioe, Mel DuPont, and Maggie Kain: thank you and congratulations to you, too. You played politics as a team sport; you forced the good-old-boy machine onto defense, enabling the team’s overall success.
Thank you to all the CARI members who interviewed candidates, donated, made calls, knocked doors, and were part of this seismic result. Thanks also to the RI Political Co-op, RI Working Families Party, the Sunrise Movement, Reclaim RI, and the Providence DSA, who together created a new force in Rhode Island politics.
Onto the general election! Our politics teams will be analyzing the races our primary endorsees face in November, as well as adding new endorsements to our list. SIGN UP HERE if you want to be a part of getting these climate champions over the finish line and into the State House. Depending on interest, we may also get involved in national level campaigning for U.S. Senate candidates and the Biden/Harris ticket.