Providence Ward 3 City Councilor Sue AnderBois on Wednesday became the third Democrat to enter the 2026 race for lieutenant governor in Rhode Island.
She outlined her run in a campaign launch video and planned an evening event at the Wild Colonial tavern.
In an interview, AnderBois said she is running because she believes the lieutenant governor’s office can be used to get a lot of things done “and right now we just need to have all of our leaders running as fast as they can … working on behalf of all Rhode Islanders.”
As an example of her approach, AnderBois said she brought different interest groups together to try to improve pedestrian safety on North Main Street in Providence.
“One of the big issues I’m looking at right now,” she said, “would be how do we make sure that we’re tackling things like affordability in our energy space while also making sure that we are staying committed to our long-term energy and climate goals, which I think is a yes-and, not an either-or.”
According to her legislative bio, AnderBois, 42, has degrees from Dartmouth College and the Yale School of Management. She has worked on developing sustainable food systems in Rhode Island and on energy and climate issues for the Nature Conservancy.
Also in the Democratic race for lieutenant governor: incumbent Sabina Matos and former state Sen. Cynthia Coyne of Barrington.
Matos was picked for the job as lieutenant governor by Gov. Dan McKee in 2021 and she won election the following year, before a run for Congress in 2023 lost support due to a signature-gathering controversy.
Anderbois, a New Jersey native who moved with her husband to Rhode Island in 2013, won election as the Ward 3 councilor in 2022. The ward includes the Mount Hope, Summit and Blackstone neighborhoods.
Newport City Councilor Xaykham “Xay” Khamsavoravong is among other Democrats considering a run for lieutenant governor.
The primary is in September 2026.
