Gabe Amo, a former White House aide under the Obama and Biden administrations, won the special Democratic primary election for Rhode Island鈥檚 1st U.S. Congressional District Sept. 5. The results, as in any election, led to abundant analysis of what the race might signal for politics in Rhode Island and nationally.
According to certified by the Rhode Island Board of Elections Wednesday, just under 40,000 voters cast their ballots in the Democratic primary, with more than another 4,000 voting in the Republican primary. Amo won with 32.4% of the Democratic vote, beating 11 opponents, including runner-up former state Rep. Aaron Regunberg who finished with 24.9% of the vote.
Wendy Schiller, professor of political science and director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, was surprised by the results of the election, specifically Amo鈥檚 鈥渓ate week surge.鈥� She noted that in a crowded primary election decided by less than 3,000 votes, small things make a big difference, particularly likeability.
鈥淗e鈥檚 had no negative press, no scandals, no missteps, and I think a lot of voters said, 鈥榃ell, that鈥檚 someone who鈥檚 really appealing,鈥� she said.
The same can鈥檛 be said for several of Amo鈥檚 competitors.聽
Regunberg was for receiving support from a super PAC funded by $125,000 in donations from his father-in-law and mother, which Schiller said 鈥渦ndercut his reputation as a liberal progressive.鈥� Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, an early frontrunner in the race who finished with only 8% of the vote, also struggled amidst negative press. Her campaign was of forging nomination signatures, including the names of people who were dead. The Matos campaign blamed a contractor hired to collect signatures.
Matt Rauschenbach 鈥�23, Amo鈥檚 communications director, attributed Amo鈥檚 victory to the strength of the campaign鈥檚 on-the-ground outreach, as well as the popularity of the candidate鈥檚 message, which heavily emphasized his background in government.
鈥淰oters were looking for somebody who is ready to deliver for Rhode Island on day one,鈥� Rauschenbach said.
The message trickled down to voters like Valerie Andrews, a public services assistant at Brown University. 鈥淗e seems to have some very good experience,鈥� she explained outside a polling place on Providence鈥檚 east side last week. Andrews noted that Amo鈥檚 prioritization of gun control won her vote.
Amo now faces Gerry Leonard, a former U.S. Marine Corps colonel, in the general special election Nov. 7, but the race is unlikely to be close, as registered Democrats in the district registered Republicans. President Joe Biden carried the district by nearly 30 points in the 2020 election.
Rauschenbach said the general election campaign remains focused on bringing together all of the factions of the Democratic primary. Amo was considered a more moderate and establishment Democrat than his main competitor Regunberg, who was endorsed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont).
Last Sunday, Gov. Dan McKee, Matos and U.S. Senators for Rhode Island Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with other top Democrats in the state, to endorse Amo.
Regunberg also for Amo in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding that he would communicate with his 鈥渟upporters about (the) need to back (Amo鈥檚) campaign.鈥�
While some see Amo鈥檚 victory as a to progressives in the state, Schiller said she doesn鈥檛 think that the election offers much clarity about Rhode Island Democrats.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you can conclude from this primary that Rhode Island is more liberal or less liberal,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat you conclude is voters are looking for candidates who don鈥檛 have any scandals, who are authentic and who they can relate to.鈥�
Amo is now almost guaranteed to become the first person of color to represent Rhode Island in Congress, which Schiller said was 鈥渓ong overdue.鈥�
鈥淲e are a very diverse state, and our elected officials and elected leaders have not reflected鈥� that, she added.
Rauschenbach said that Amo plans to take 鈥渁ll of the parts of his identity, being a Black man, being the son of two West African immigrants, and use that to represent Rhode Island in Congress.鈥� But he also noted that Amo鈥檚 decision to run for Congress was ultimately 鈥渁bout making a difference, not making history.鈥澛�
Schiller believed that Amo鈥檚 background 鈥� he as the child of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants 鈥� resonated with voters and ultimately helped propel him over the top.聽
The results also highlighted the importance of recruiting diverse candidates 鈥渨ho can identify with local district voters鈥� in the 2024 election cycle, according to Schiller, including those who were born or have lived in the district they are seeking to represent, such as Amo.
She added that the Democratic Party must vet their candidates thoroughly in the future in order to avoid scandals like those seen in this year鈥檚 special primary.
According to Rauschenbach, the election signals the popularity of President Biden鈥檚 policies in Rhode Island. He noted that Amo 鈥渄id not run away from the Biden-Harris administration(鈥榮) historic legislative achievements.鈥澛�
Still, the sample size was small, with just over a quarter of registered Democratic voters participating in the primary. Nearly a week after the election, 1st Congressional District resident David Campbell was still left asking a simple question: 鈥淲ho won?鈥�
Campbell said he had originally planned to vote for Ward 1 Councilor John Goncalves but ended up not voting at all, believing Goncalves was too far behind.
Voters鈥� perception of frontrunners, though, relied exclusively on internal polls: An internal survey from Amo鈥檚 campaign released in late August put Regunberg in the lead with 27.9% of the vote, with Amo in second at 19.1%, but its validity was .
鈥淲e felt an obligation to let people know that these were your two choices ultimately,鈥� Rauschenbach said when asked about any political strategy in the release of the internal poll. 鈥淥utside of that, there really wasn鈥檛 a huge calculus on our end.鈥�
Schiller called the release of the poll and its timing 鈥渟mart campaigning.鈥�
鈥淗e was saying, listen, 鈥業鈥檓 in range, if you don鈥檛 like Matos and you don鈥檛 like Regunberg, I鈥檓 a really good alternative who鈥檚 got a chance to win,鈥欌�� she said.
Jacob Smollen is a Metro editor covering city and state politics and co-editor of the Bruno Brief. He is a junior from Philadelphia studying International and Public Affairs.
