Rhode Island State Senate District 4
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 13 min
| Census Topic | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 29,859 |
| Gender |
45.1% Male 54.9% Female |
| Race |
66% White 10.9% Black 3.1% Asian 0.6% Native American 0% Pacific Islander |
| Ethnicity | 18.1% Hispanic |
| Median household income | $55,233 |
| High school graduation rate | 91.2% |
| College graduation rate | 35.9% |
Rhode Island State Senate District 4 is represented by Dominick Ruggerio (D).
As of the 2020 Census, Rhode Island state senators represented an average of 28,878 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 27,699 residents.
About the chamber[edit]
Members of the Rhode Island State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Rhode Island legislators assume office the first Tuesday in January.
Qualifications[edit]
A candidate for the Rhode Island General Assembly must:[1]
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be a registered voter
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Be a state resident for at least 30 days preceding the election
- Be a resident of the district the candidate is running to represent
Salaries[edit]
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislators | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $16,636/year | No per diem is paid. |
Vacancies[edit]
If there is a vacancy in the Rhode Island General Assembly, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The secretary of state must call for an election to be held anywhere from 70 to 90 days after the vacancy occurred. No election can be held if the vacancy happens after the first Monday in February during an election year.[2] The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[3]
See sources: Rhode Island Gen. Laws § 17-3-6
District map[edit]
The map below shows this district's current boundaries, not those enacted as part of the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Redistricting[edit]
2020-2021[edit]
Rhode Island enacted new legislative district boundaries on February 16, 2022, when Gov. Dan McKee (D) signed redistricting legislation approved by the General Assembly. The State House of Representatives passed the new maps by a vote of 57-6 and the State Senate approved them, 29-9, on February 15, 2022. In a press release issued after Gov. McKee signed the legislation, State Representative Robert Phillips (D), co-chair of the state's legislative Reapportionment Commission, said, "It was an honor and pleasure to work with such a dedicated group of individuals on this commission. I’m particularly proud of the fact that we obtained so much input from citizens around the state, holding our meetings in several cities and towns to make it more accessible to everyone. Reapportionment can be daunting and complex, but I’m glad we took everyone’s concerns into account and came up with a fair and equitable system of reapportionment.”[4][5][6][7]
The Providence Journal's Patrick Anderson and Katherine Gregg wrote "Although some district boundaries changed a lot, the new maps did not put any incumbent General Assembly members in the same district, forcing them to run against each other. But the maps did draw some would-be challengers out of their current districts, potentially protecting incumbents from a tough reelection battle.[8] Edward Fitzpatrick of the Boston Globe wrote that "critics have said both Democratic and Republican incumbents were allowed to shape their districts during private meetings with the state’s long-time redistricting consultant."[9]
Reactions[edit]
In a press release issued after the maps were signed, State Sen. Steve Archambault (D), co-chair of the legislative Reapportionment Commission, said, “I’m proud of the work we were able to do in the redistricting commission. We were able to commit to an openness and transparency every step of the way, so that all interested parties could see what was going on at all times. That includes maintaining a web site that made all redistricting plans and census data available to the public and giving everyone access to the software that was used to redraw the maps.”[4] John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, criticized the process and final maps because he felt incumbents were expressly favored, saying, "This is the culmination of a years long effort to maintain the status quo. They did not hide the fact that the goal was to let the incumbents draw the maps as they pleased.”[9]
How does redistricting in Rhode Island work? In Rhode Island, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Rhode Island General Assembly. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[10]
An 18-member advisory commission established in 2011 can recommend congressional and state legislative redistricting plans to the state legislature. The legislature may "adopt, modify, or ignore the commission's proposals." The composition of the commission is as follows:[10]
- The majority leader of the Rhode Island State Senate chooses four commissioners who are state legislators and three who are not, for a total of seven commissioners.
- The majority leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives chooses four commissioners who are state legislators and three who are not, for a total of seven commissioners.
- The minority leader of the Rhode Island State Senate chooses two commissioners who are state legislators.
- The minority leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives chooses two commissioners who are state legislators.
The Rhode Island Constitution requires that state legislative districts be compact.[10]
State statutes require that congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[10]
- Districts should be contiguous.
- Districts should "reflect natural, historical, geographical, and municipal and other political lines, 'as well as the right of all Rhode Islanders to fair representation and equal access to the political process.'"
- "The lines of state House, state Senate and congressional districts [should] coincide–or at least, if they do not overlap completely, they should avoid creating voting precincts with distinct ballot options where the precinct has fewer than 100 people."
Elections[edit]
2022[edit]
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
The general election will occur on November 8, 2022.
2020[edit]
General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4
Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Dominick Ruggerio (D) |
94.0
|
9,590 |
| Other/Write-in votes |
6.0
|
611 | ||
|
Total votes: 10,201 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4
Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio defeated Leonardo Cioe, Jr. in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Dominick Ruggerio |
54.7
|
1,974 |
|
|
Leonardo Cioe, Jr.
|
45.3
|
1,633 | |
|
Total votes: 3,607 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
2018[edit]
General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4
Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Dominick Ruggerio (D) |
95.9
|
7,293 |
| Other/Write-in votes |
4.1
|
310 | ||
|
Total votes: 7,603 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4
Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 on September 12, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Dominick Ruggerio |
100.0
|
3,171 |
|
Total votes: 3,171 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
2016[edit]
Elections for the Rhode Island State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 29, 2016.
Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio ran unopposed in the Rhode Island State Senate District 4 general election.[11][12]
| Rhode Island State Senate, District 4 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  Dominick Ruggerio Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Rhode Island Board of Elections | ||
Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio ran unopposed in the Rhode Island State Senate District 4 Democratic primary.[13][14]
| Rhode Island State Senate, District 4 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Dominick Ruggerio Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014[edit]
Elections for the Rhode Island State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 25, 2014. Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[15][16][17]
2012[edit]
Elections for the Rhode Island State Senate consisted of a primary election on September 11, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 27, 2012. Incumbent Dominick Ruggerio (D) defeated Michael J. Rollins (L) and John Ricottilli (I) in the general election and was unopposed in the Democratic primary.[18][19]
| Rhode Island State Senate, District 4, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Dominick Ruggerio Incumbent |
66.3% | 7,039 | |
| Independent | John Ricottilli | 27.6% | 2,924 | |
| Libertarian | Michael J. Rollins | 5.8% | 614 | |
| Other | Write-in | 0.3% | 36 | |
| Total Votes | 10,613 | |||
Campaign contributions[edit]
From 2000 to 2018, candidates for Rhode Island State Senate District 4 raised a total of $1,308,821. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $72,712 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Rhode Island State Senate District 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2018 | $479,043 | 1 | $479,043 |
| 2016 | $172,920 | 1 | $172,920 |
| 2014 | $171,645 | 1 | $171,645 |
| 2012 | $137,102 | 3 | $45,701 |
| 2010 | $106,689 | 3 | $35,563 |
| 2008 | $79,738 | 2 | $39,869 |
| 2006 | $68,796 | 2 | $34,398 |
| 2004 | $63,463 | 2 | $31,732 |
| 2002 | $23,075 | 2 | $11,538 |
| 2000 | $6,350 | 1 | $6,350 |
| Total | $1,308,821 | 18 | $72,712 |
See also[edit]
- Rhode Island General Assembly
- Rhode Island State Senate
- Rhode Island House of Representatives
- Rhode Island state legislative districts
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Are You Eligible?" accessed February 17, 2021
- ↑ Rhode Island Legislature, "Rhode Island General Laws," accessed February 15, 2021 (Statute 17-3-6 (a))
- ↑ Rhode Island Legislature, "Rhode Island General Laws," accessed February 15, 2021 (Statute 17-3-6 (b))
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "Bill to reapportion House, Senate, congressional districts signed into law," accessed February 18, 2022
- ↑ State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "2022 House Journals - February 15th," accessed February 18, 2022
- ↑ State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "House Floor Votes for 2/15/2022," accessed February 18, 2022
- ↑ State of Rhode Island General Assembly, "Legislative Status Report - Senate Bill No. 2162 SUB A as amended," accessed February 18, 2022
- ↑ The Providence Journal, "Redistricting maps: General Assembly approves new Rhode Island political boundaries," February 15, 2022
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Boston Globe, "Assembly votes for final House, Senate, congressional maps," February 15, 2022
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 All About Redistricting, "Rhode Island," accessed May 7, 2015
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Search," accessed October 5, 2016
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2016 general election results," accessed January 19, 2017
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Search," accessed June 30, 2016
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2016 Statewide Primary," accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Candidates for Senator in General Assembly," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2014 Statewide Primary Results: Senator in General Assembly," accessed September 26, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "Official 2014 general election results," accessed December 4, 2014
- ↑ Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Official General Election Results," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ "Rhode Island Secretary of State - Official Primary Election Results," accessed October 30, 2013
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