Rhode Island House of Representatives elections, 2024 (original) (raw)
| 2024 Rhode IslandHouse Elections | |
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| Primary | September 10, 2024 |
| General | November 5, 2024 |
| 2024 Elections |
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| Choose a chamber below: |
Elections for the Rhode Island House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was September 10, 2024. The filing deadline was June 26, 2024.
The Rhode Island House of Representatives was one of 85 state legislative chambers with elections in 2024. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas
| Rhode Island House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2024 | After November 6, 2024 |
| Democratic Party | 65 | |
| Republican Party | 9 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 75 | 75 |
Candidates
General election
Primary
Voting information
See also: Voting in Rhode Island
General election race ratings
The table below displays race ratings for each race in this chamber from CNalysis.
Incumbents who did not advance to the general election
See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 14, 2024
Incumbents defeated in primaries
See also: Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2024
One incumbent lost in primaries. This was less than the average of 4.4 incumbent defeats per cycle from 2010 to 2022.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Cardillo |  Democratic |
House District 42 |
Retiring incumbents
Five incumbents did not file for re-election in 2024.[1] The average number of retirements from 2010 to 2022 was 7.7. Those incumbents were:
Primary election competitiveness
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Rhode Island. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Rhode Island in 2024. Information below was calculated on August 6, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Rhode Island had 20 contested state legislative primaries on September 10, 2024, the lowest since Ballotpedia started tracking in 2010. That amounted to 8.8% of all possible primaries for the state’s legislature being contested in 2024.
All of the state’s contested state legislative primaries were Democratic primaries—there were no contested Republican primaries. That was the lowest number of contested primaries for both parties since Ballotpedia started tracking.
Ballotpedia defines a contested primary as one where there are more candidates than the number of nominations available.
In an interview with The Boston Globe’s Edward Fitzpatrick, Common Cause Rhode Island’s John Marrion said multiple factors could contribute to the lower number of contested primaries, “There are systemic barriers to running for office that include access to money and access to the supporters you need to run a good campaign.”[2]
Marrion said he believes public financing for campaigns and an independent redistricting process—instead of the state’s legislative redistricting process—would foster more competition.[2]
All 113 seats of the General Assembly were up for election in 2024 and there were a total of 179 candidates running, the lowest since 2014. Among those running were 138 Democrats and 41 Republicans. This was below average for both parties. From 2010 to 2022, the average number of Democrats running was 147.6, and the average number of Republicans running was 54.7.
A total of 104 incumbents ran for re-election in the primaries, and among them, 13, or about 12.5%, faced primary challengers. That was the lowest number of contested incumbents since Ballotpedia started tracking.
Rhode Island has had a Democratic trifecta since 2013. Since 1992, the state has had 15 years of Democratic trifectas and no Republican trifectas.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 2010 to 2024.[3] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Rhode Island House of Representatives elections: 2010 - 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2024 | 75 | 5 (7 percent) | 70 (93 percent) |
| 2022 | 75 | 7 (9 percent) | 68 (91 percent) |
| 2020 | 75 | 5 (7 percent) | 70 (93 percent) |
| 2018 | 75 | 10 (13 percent) | 65 (87 percent) |
| 2016 | 75 | 6 (8 percent) | 69 (92 percent) |
| 2014 | 75 | 6 (8 percent) | 69 (92 percent) |
| 2012 | 75 | 6 (8 percent) | 69 (92 percent) |
| 2010 | 75 | 10 (13 percent) | 65 (87 percent) |
Legislative referrals
See also: Legislative referral
A legislative referral, or legislatively referred ballot measure, is a ballot measure that appears on the ballot due to a vote of the state legislature. A legislative referral can be a constitutional amendment, state statute, or bond issue.
As of the 2024 election, a simple majority vote was required during one legislative session for the Rhode Island State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 38 votes in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and 20 votes in the Rhode Island State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
At the time of the 2024 election, Democrats held a 32-5-1 majority in the Senate and a 65-9-1 majority in the House. Democrats needed to lose 13 Senate seats and 28 House seats to be able to pass legislative referrals without Republican votes. Republicans needed to win 15 Senate seats and 29 House seats to have the same ability.
Process to become a candidate
See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Rhode Island
See statutes: Rhode Island General Laws, Title 17, Chapter 14
In Rhode Island, all candidates must adhere to the same filing procedure, regardless of partisan affiliation. First, a candidate must file a declaration of candidacy. A candidate for statewide or federal office must submit this form to the Rhode Island Secretary of State. A candidate for the state legislature must file the declaration with the local board of canvassers in the city or town where he or she is registered to vote. Declarations of candidacy may be filed during the last consecutive Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in June of the election year.[4][5]
A party candidate uses the declaration of candidacy to declare partisan affiliation, as well. If a candidate belongs to a party but wishes to run under a different party label, he or she must disaffiliate from the original party 90 days prior to filing the declaration of candidacy. Party-affiliated candidates may choose to run as independent candidates. Likewise, unaffiliated candidates may file as party candidates. Once they do, they automatically become members of the party.[4][6]
In Rhode Island, political party officials may designate candidates to represent their parties in primaries and general elections. Such designations are called endorsements. A party's state committee is responsible for making endorsements for federal and statewide candidates; senatorial and representative district committees make endorsements for state legislative candidates. A majority of the committee's members must sign an endorsement form in order to endorse a particular candidate. Endorsements by district committees must be made by 4:00 p.m. on the day after the last day of the filing period. Endorsements by the state committee must be made by 4:00 p.m. on the second day after the final day of the filing period.[4][7][8]
Regardless of endorsement status, a candidate for federal, statewide, or state legislative office must collect signatures on nomination papers, which are issued after the candidate submits his or her declaration of candidacy. Signature requirements are the same for political party candidates as they are for unaffiliated candidates. Nomination papers become available within two business days of the final date for filing endorsements. Signature requirements are summarized in the table below.[4][9][10]
| Nomination paper signature requirements | |
|---|---|
| Office | Signatures required |
| Governor, United States Senator | 1,000 |
| United States Representative, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state | 500 |
| State senator | 100 |
| State representative | 50 |
Each sheet of a nomination paper can include only signatures from voters residing in the same city or town. Papers are due to the appropriate local board of canvassers by 4:00 p.m. on the 60th day preceding the primary.[4][11]
Write-in candidates
Write-in candidates do not need to file special paperwork in order to have their votes tabulated. However, write-in candidates engaged in campaign activities may be required to comply with the state's campaign finance laws.[12][13]
Qualifications
See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state
Article III of the Rhode Island Constitution describes the requirements to hold office.
Salaries and per diem
See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[14] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $19,037/year | No per diem is paid. |
When sworn in
See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election
Rhode Island legislators assume office the first Tuesday in January.[15]
Rhode Island political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Rhode Island Party Control: 1992-2024
Fifteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | I | I | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Presidential politics in Rhode Island
2020
See also: Presidential election, 2020
 |
Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified. | Total votes: 517,757 |
|---|
2016
See also: Presidential election, 2016
Rhode Island presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 22 Democratic wins
- 10 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | R | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Boston Globe,"More than half of R.I. Assembly seats will go uncontested this year," July 31, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Rhode Island: How to Run for Office 2014," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-1," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-1.1," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-12-4," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-12-11," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-7," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-4," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-14-11," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-19-31," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "Procedures for Tabulating and Reporting Write-In Votes," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Rhode Island Constitution, "Article VI, Section 3," accessed February 17, 2021
Leadership
Speaker of the House:K. Shekarchi
Majority Leader:Christopher Blazejewski
Minority Leader:Michael Chippendale
Representatives
Democratic Party (65)
Republican Party (9)
Independent (1)
