Primary Outlook: Women Candidates in Rhode Island
From March to December 2018, the Barbara Lee Family Foundation (BLFF) and the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) partnered to offer Gender Watch 2018, which tracked, analyzed, and illuminated gender dynamics in the 2018 midterm elections. With the help of expert scholars and practitioners, Gender Watch 2018 furthered public understanding of how gender influences candidate strategy, voter engagement and expectations, media coverage, and electoral outcomes in campaigns. The blog below was written for Gender Watch 2018, as part of our collective effort to raise questions, suggest answers, and complicate popular discussions about gender’s role U.S. elections.
Ahead of the Rhode Island primary election on September 12, 2018, we outline the numbers and proportions of women who have filed as candidates for congressional and statewide office. The data below also provide points of historical comparison to give context to today’s presence and potential success of women candidates.
All data are provided from the Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University. For a full list of the women candidates in Rhode Island primary races for congressional and statewide offices, see CAWP’s Election Watch page.
CONGRESS
Current: 0 of 4 members of the Rhode Island congressional delegation (0%)
Filed: 1 (1D)
Percent of all Filed Congressional Candidates (D/R): 10% (1 of 10)
SENATE
Current: 0 of 2 senators
- No woman has ever served in the U.S. Senate from Rhode Island.
Filed: 1 (1D)
- Patricia Fontes is challenging incumbent Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for the Democratic nomination.
Percent of all Filed Senate Candidates (D/R): 25% (1 of 4)
Percent of all Filed Democratic Senate Candidates: 50% (1 of 2)
Percent of all Filed Republican Senate Candidates: 0% (0 of 2)
HOUSE
Current: 0 of 2 representatives (0%)
- Just one woman has ever served in the U.S. House from Rhode Island: Claudine Schneider (R) from 1981-1991.
Filed: 0
- Rhode Island is the only state to have no women candidates filed to run for the U.S. House this year.
Districts with Women Candidates: 0 of 2
Percent of all Filed House Candidates (D/R): 0% (0 of 6)
Percent of all Filed Democratic House Candidates: 0% (0 of 3)
Percent of all Filed Republican House Candidates: 0% (0 of 3)
GOVERNOR
Current: 1
Governor Gina Raimondo is the first woman governor of Rhode Island. She is running for re-election this year.
Filed: 2 (1D, 1R)
- In addition to incumbent Governor Gina Raimondo, Republican Patricia Morgan is running for governor this year. She is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Raimondo this fall.
Percent of all Filed Gubernatorial Candidates (D/R): 33.3% (2 of 6)
Percent of all Filed Democratic House Candidates: 33.3% (1 of 3)
Percent of all Filed Republican House Candidates: 33.3% (1 of 3)
OTHER STATEWIDE ELECTED EXECUTIVE OFFICES
Current: 1 (1D) of 4 positions (excludes governor) (25%)
- Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea (D), the first Latina elected statewide in Rhode Island, is running for re-election this year.
Filed: 1 (1D)
- Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea (D) is the only woman candidate for statewide elected executive office other than governor in Rhode Island in 2018.
- There are no women candidates for attorney general, lieutenant governor, or state treasurer.
Percent of all Filed Statewide Executive (other than governor) Candidates (D/R): 12.5% (1 of 8)
Percent of all Filed Democratic Statewide Executive (other than governor) Candidates: 20% (1 of 5)
Percent of all Filed Republican Statewide Executive (other than governor) Candidates: 0% (0 of 3)
