Count me thankful for Rhody politics being the gift that keeps giving, and for all who help to support public media in the state. This column will be off next week before returning Dec. 5. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go.
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1. STORY OF THE WEEK: In November 2024, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio maintained a strong hold on power, but concerns about his declining health sparked a sharp divide in the Rhode Island Senate. Ruggerio died at age 76 six months later, leading to the rise of Val Lawson as his successor and Frank Ciccone as Senate majority leader. Although the General Assembly has tilted a bit more progressive over the last decade, the Senate leadership vote showed that the center of gravity in the chamber remained conservative Democrat. The question now is how the Senate will be affected by the fissures that emerged over the last 18 months. During an interview this week on One on One, Senate Whip David Tikoian of Smithfield downplayed the fallout. “Those elections are behind us now, so let’s move forward,” he said. But Tikoian was on hand for a recent fundraiser for Mark Mesrobian of Narragansett, whose primary challenge against Sen. Alana DiMario (D-Narragansett) is backed by the conservative-leaning League of Rhode Island Businesses (LORIB). While Mesrobian and Tikoian are cousins, eight senators attended the event — almost a quarter of the Democrats in the chamber — making for a show of force. Tikoian maintained the turnout was based more on personal connections (Mesrobian is GM of the Bonnet Shores Beach Club) than anything else, not that DiMario competed against Ciccone for majority leader last April. “Listen, Sen. DiMario has been nothing but kind to me,” he said. “This isn’t anything personal.” Meanwhile, as Patrick Anderson reported, a niece of Ciccone is running a primary against Sen. Bridget Valverde (D-North Kingstown), another progressive in the chamber. LORIB is talking a big game about supporting more candidates (see item 8), so divisions between Senate factions may remain present during this election year.
2. FALLOUT: Here’s Sen. DiMario’s response to my request for comment on how a number of her colleagues attended the Mesrobian event, and whether there are lingering sore feelings in the Senate: “Eight people who can’t vote in my district attending the Republican-backed fundraiser for my primary opponent doesn’t concern me. When I ran for Senate District 36 in 2020, I was not supported by the insider political machine, and I decisively won the trust of the voters in my community. Those voters have seen my strong record of success on the issues important to them, and have continued to send me back to the Senate. I leave the focus on feelings at my day job as a counselor. The people of Rhode Island deserve a Senate where every seat is occupied by a diligent, pragmatic, effective problem-solver who keeps the needs of the communities they represent front and center — not cousins and private beach club memberships. I have always approached my work in the Senate with the professionalism and respect the institution deserves, and will continue to do so.”
3. TIKOIAN’S TICKET: Whip Tikoian, 57, has had a fast rise in the Senate. He first won election in 2022 and was appointed by President Ruggerio as whip last January. During a quarter-century with the State Police, Tikoian’s roles included being part of the detail for Govs. Lincoln Almond and Don Carcieri. He was part of the last class to face mandatory retirement at age 48 “and I just felt as though I had something in the tank to give back to the community.” Tikoian won election to the Smithfield Town Council and was planning to seek another term, but switched gears, with Ruggerio’s support, when former Sen. Stephen Archambault decided not to seek re-election. It’s not hard to see why Ruggerio picked Tikoian as whip. He’s an affable people-person and he shares the former Senate president’s profile as a conservative Democrat (Tikoian told me he voted for President Trump in 2016). Asked if he would be interested in becoming Senate president if there’s a future opening, he said, yes.
4. ICE IN PVD: Via my colleague Ben Berke: “As federal ICE agents continue to make arrests outside local courthouses, Rhode Island’s highest-ranking judge issued a rare press release on Thursday announcing that the state court system needs to ‘focus on ways to enhance access to virtual hearings and to educate the public as to how to request such hearings.’ The statement arrived at the end of a chaotic Thursday, during which court officials said ICE agents mistakenly detained a high school intern working in the Providence County Superior Court. Those agents wound up face to face with protesters, who had gathered for a pre-scheduled rally to call on court officials to expand virtual hearing access. During the confrontation, a masked ICE agent stepped out of an unmarked vehicle to aim a taser at protesters before driving away. ‘ICE is coming to court houses to pick people up because they know they have to come to court, right?’ Providence City Council President Rachel Miller, who spoke at the rally, said in an interview. ‘And so by letting people engage the legal system in a virtual way, it eliminates that danger.’ ”
5. DODD DOLLARS: As you can see from the invitation below, former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut — the uncle of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Helena Foulkes — is headlining a Dec. 8 luncheon fundraiser for her at the University Club. Dodd, 81, served in the Senate from 1981 to 2011. In 2009, The New York Times reported on how “the pharmaceutical industry has helped finance efforts to bolster his image back home as he braces for a potentially bruising re-election contest.” With Gov. Dan McKee criticizing Foulkes on the opioid issue, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his campaign rap Dodd’s ties with pharma. In related news, McKee’s campaign is calling on Foulkes to return $6,000 in contributions received from Larry Summers since 2021. Meanwhile, Foulkes’ campaign is distributing a four-page fundraising prospectus to supporters. It describes her as “a compassionate, experienced and effective leader,” touts her fundraising lead over McKee, and cites his less than stellar approval rating.
6. GOP PROSPECT: Could newly announced lieutenant governor candidate John Loughlin be the best Republican hope of winning a statewide general office in Rhode Island next year? The former three-term state rep from Tiverton knows the issues, is a good talker and he got a competitive 45% of the vote against Democrat David Cicilline in the battle for an open CD1 seat in 2010. It used to be that voters in Rhode Island (and Massachusetts) liked the idea of electing GOP governors, seemingly as a check on Democratic legislatures. Not so much in recent years, though. Of course, Loughlin would have to beat a Democrat to win the LG’s office. Incumbent Sabina Matos, former state Sen. Cynthia Coyne, and Providence City Councilor Sue AnderBois are already off and running, and Newport City Councilor Xaykham “Xay” Khamsavoravong’s comms chops and fundraising ability make him someone to watch.
7. PROGRESSIVE PUSH: Young progressive Michael J. Garman recently created a campaign account, raising questions about whether he plans to run against longtime state Rep. Edith Ajello (D-Providence), and more broadly, whether that would be part of a broader progressive push meant to help elevate David Morales’ campaign for mayor of Providence. Garman, who declined an interview request, said he will decide in 2026 whether to run for the seat held by Ajello. He previously managed a winning campaign for state Rep. Enrique Sanchez of Providence. With Rep. Charlene Lima (D-Cranston), Ajello is the last remaining member of the big incoming class elected in 1992. The East Side Democrat, 81, tells me she’s still considering whether she will seek re-election.
8. CONSERVATIVE ACTION: An early test for The League of Rhode Island Businesses (LORIB) will come when fourth-quarter campaign finance reports are due in early February. LORIB boosters say the group is an effort to bring more common sense to the General Assembly, while critics see the group more as a Second Amendment advocacy organization with a pro-business wrapper. In a news release this week, the group elaborated on its plans: “A coalition of Rhode Island business leaders have reached a simple conclusion: enough is enough. To create meaningful change in the state, the group has expanded the original League of RI Businesses PAC into a new, statewide network of 40 independent political action committees — one for every city and town in Rhode Island. Each PAC is named after its community — LORIB Providence, LORIB Cranston, LORIB Warwick, and so forth — deliberately emphasizing local involvement and community-driven change. ‘Every Rhode Islander deserves representation that reflects their community’s priorities, not the interests of political insiders,’ said David J. Levesque, co-founder of The League of RI Businesses. ‘For decades, the establishment has failed to move this state forward. We’re here to change that—and we’re putting real resources behind real candidates who put Rhode Islanders first.’ In the past month, The League has finalized all 40 PACs and the operating structure behind them. Under Rhode Island law, each PAC may donate up to $2,000 per year to a candidate. With 40 PACs aligned in mission, The League has the capacity to direct up to $1 million annually toward supporting new, common-sense candidates and challenging extremist incumbents.”
9. HEALTH CARE: The battle is raging between Prime Healthcare and the Centurion Foundation over which will win the ownership of Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital.
10. CLIMATE: With U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse returning this week as the lone American representative at COP30, the UN climate meeting in Brazil, here’s your reminder that coral reefs could be gone forever, ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica face collapse and permanently frozen ground is thawing. ProPublica reports that 1.3 million additional deaths could result from the current administration’s antipathy toward addressing climate change.
11: HUNGER: How did a group from the smallest state in the nation end up fighting for the country’s SNAP benefits? Isabella Jibilian has the story.
12: CD2: Quite a bit of news this week related to Second District Congressman Seth Magaziner. First, there was Kathy Gregg’s deep dive on GOP candidate Victor Mellor’s past domestic violence arrests. A Magaziner spokesman called the information “deeply alarming,” while Mellor said in part, “My past doesn’t define me.” When the House Administration Committee held a hearing on one of Magaziner’s top bills, to ban congressional stock-trading, he called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring it to a floor vote. Some Republican members of Congress joined Magaziner in making that call Wednesday. “But,” Politico reported, “House GOP leaders are wary that a bipartisan bill or a similar measure will trigger blowback from a swath of Republicans, including some who say stock trading is an important source of income for themselves and their families.”
13. RI POLI-MEDIA PEOPLE ON THE MOVE: Congrats to Gabrielle Caracciolo of WJAR-TV, who will soon be reporting on politics for Nexstar’s Washington, D.C., bureau. That means that Caracciolo, who’s done a lot of excellent reporting on the Washington Bridge saga, will remain visible locally via Nexstar-owned WPRI …. André Herrera has gotten the nod as the new director of policy and constituent services in East Providence. His previous experience includes work with the Providence City Council, former U.S. Rep. David Cicilline and U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo.
14: KICKER: A department at URI is embarking on a five-year study of the North American Eastern Wild Turkey. According to a news release, “Wild turkeys were extirpated (eliminated) in Rhode Island in the 1800s due to overharvesting, forest clearing, and land-use changes. Starting in 1980, DEM and the National Wild Turkey Federation began a wildlife restoration program, bringing 29 turkeys from Vermont to Exeter, followed by additional translocations through the 1990s — all crucial in getting the species reestablished in the state. Today, the wild turkey can now be found in all cities and towns in the state, except Block Island. DEM staff say wild turkeys’ comeback in the state is ‘one of the true wildlife success stories.’” Keep an eye out for my colleague David Wright’s turkey story on Monday on Ocean State Media. And have a happy Turkey Day.
