Elections are held in Providence , Rhode Island to elect the city's mayor . Such elections are regularly scheduled to be held in United States midterm election years.
Elections before 1998 [ edit ]
This section is empty. You can help by
adding to it .
(July 2021 )
1998 Providence mayoral election
The 1998 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 3, 1998. It saw the reelection of Buddy Cianci to sixth overall, and third consecutive, term. Cianci ran unchallenged.
2002 Providence mayoral election
The 2002 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 5, 2002. It saw the election of Democratic nominee David Cicilline in a landslide victory .
Cicilline wisas openly gay . After Cicilline took office, Providence became largest city in the United States at the time to have had an openly LGBTQ mayor (a distinction which had, beforehand, belonged to Tempe, Arizona since its election of Neil Giuliano ).[ 2] [ 3]
The Democratic Party held its primary election on September 10, 2002.[ 4]
Withdrew
David Ciciline and Kevin McKenna launched their campaigns prior to the June conviction of incumbent mayor Buddy Cianci , and criticized the disgraced mayor.[ 4] Paolino and Igliozzi launched their candidacies after Cianci's conviction, and did not openly criticize Cianci.[ 4] Igliozzi had once worked in the city's solicitor's office during Cianci's mayoralty.[ 4]
Paloino pledged to revitalize blighted areas of the city by cleaning up their parks and schools, and by increasing community police officers.[ 4]
Ciciline also advocated for the arts, and proposed making gallery and studio space available to more residents.[ 4]
While Ciciline was openly gay, Paolino sought to challenge him for support of the city's gay voters.[ 4]
Withdrew
Pat Cortelessa (independent)[ 5]
Robert Farrow (independent)[ 5]
It was anticipated that the winner of the Democratic Party primary would be the race's frontrunner in the strongly Democratic city's mayoral race.[ 4]
The sexuality of Cecilline, vying to become the city's first openly homosexual mayor, was not a prominent issue in the campaign. Some in the gay community even criticized Cecilline, accusing him of downplaying his sexuality in order to appeal more broadly to voters.[ 3]
Throughout the campaign, Cecilline was a strong leader in polls.[ 3]
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size
Margin of error
David Cicilline (D)
Greg Gerritt (G)
Dave Talan (R)
Christopher Young (i)
Undecided
Brown University [ 8]
September 14–22, 2002
506 LV
± 4%
70%
2%
4%
1%
23%
U.S. Senate U.S. House Governors State Attorneys General State legislatures Mayors
Anaheim, CA
Dallas, TX (special)
Irvine, CA
Long Beach, CA
New Orleans, LA
Oakland, CA
Providence, RI
San Jose, CA
Tulsa, OK
Washington, DC
States generally
2006 Providence mayoral election
The 2006 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 7, 2006. It saw the reelection of incumbent Democrat David Cicilline .
The Democratic Party's primary election was held on September 12, 2006.[ 10]
Cicilline faced Republican nominee Daniel S. Harrop III, who had previously run for state house in 2002 as a Libertarian and in 2004 as a Republican.
U.S. Senate U.S. House (election ratings ) Governors State Attorneys General State officials State legislatures Mayors
Anaheim, CA
Anchorage, AK
Austin, TX
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Irvine, CA
Long Beach, CA
Newark, NJ
New Orleans, LA
Richmond, CA
San Bernardino, CA
San Jose, CA
Norfolk, VA
Oakland, CA
Providence, RI
Santa Ana, CA
Tallahassee, FL
Tulsa, OK
Washington, DC
States
2010 Providence mayoral election
The 2010 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 2, 2010. The election saw the election of Angel Taveras .
Taveras became the first Hispanic mayor of the city and the third elected and fourth serving Dominican-American mayor in the United States.[ 12]
Incumbent David Cicilline did not seek reelection, instead opting to run in the coinciding election for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district . Cicilline was eligible to seek reelection to a third consecutive term as mayor, as term limits passed in 2006 (which limited mayors to two consecutive terms) would not go into effect until the following year.[ 13]
U.S. Senate U.S. House (election ratings ) Governors Attorneys general State legislatures Mayors
Anaheim, CA
Honolulu, HI (special)
Irvine, CA
Long Beach, CA
Louisville, KY
New Orleans, LA
Newark, NJ
Norfolk, VI
Oakland, CA
Orange County, FL
Providence, RI
San Jose, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Tallahassee, TN
Washington, DC
States
2014 Providence mayoral election
The 2014 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 4, 2014. The election saw the election of Jorge Elorza .
Incumbent Angel Taveras did not seek reelection, and instead (unsuccessfully) sought the Democratic nomination in the coinciding Rhode Island gubernatorial election .
The Democratic primary was held on September 9, 2014.
Despite still appearing on the ballot, Brett Smiley had withdrawn and endorsed Elorza before the primary was held.[ 16]
The election pinned Democratic primary winner Jorge Elorza against former mayor Buddy Cianci, who was running as an independent, and Republican Daniel S. Harrop.
Elorza was endorsed by United States President Barack Obama .[ 18]
On July 14, 2014, businessman Lorne Adrian withdrew his independent candidacy.[ 19]
Independent candidate Jeffrey E. Lemire failed to get his name on the ballot.[ 20]
U.S. Senate U.S. House (Election ratings ) Governors Attorneys General State legislatures Mayors
Anaheim, CA
Austin, TX
Chula Vista, CA
Corpus Christi, TX
Irvine, CA
Jackson, MS
Lexington, KY
Long Beach, CA
Louisville, KY
Lubbock, TX
New Orleans, LA
Newark, NJ
Norfolk, VA
North Miami, FL (special)
Oakland, CA
Oklahoma City, OK
Providence, RI
Reno, NV
San Bernardino, CA
San Diego, CA (special)
San Jose, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Shreveport, LA
Tallahassee, FL
Washington, DC
States
2018 Providence mayoral election
The 2018 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 6, 2018. The election saw the reelection of Jorge Elorza .
On September 12, 2018, incumbent mayor Jorge Elorza won renomination by the Democratic Party, defeating challengers Kobi Dennis and Robert DeRobbio.[ 22]
Elorza had been endorsed by the party organization ahead of the primary.[ 23]
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size
Margin of error
Lorne Adrian
Kobi Dennis
Robert DeRobbio
Jorge Elorza
John Lombardi
Other
Undecided
John Zogby Strategies[ 24]
April 4–8, 2019
424
± 5%
6.5%
8.3%
5.4%
35.9%
18.3%
8.2%
17.3%
–
–
–
45.8%
33.3%
–
–
U.S. Senate U.S. House (election ratings ) Governors Attorneys general State legislatures Mayors
Alexandria, VA
Anaheim, CA
Anchorage, AK
Auburn, AL
Austin, TX
Burlington, VT
Chula Vista, CA
Fairfax, VA
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Franklin, VA
Irvine, CA
Laredo, TX
Lexington, KY
Little Rock, AR
Long Beach, CA
Louisville, KY
Lubbock, TX
Nashville, TN (special)
Newark, NJ
Newport News, VA
Oakland, CA
Oklahoma City, OK
Phoenix, AZ (special)
Providence, RI
Radford, VA
Reno, NV
San Bernardino, CA
San Francisco, CA (special)
San Jose, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Tallahassee, FL
Virginia Beach, VA (special)
Washington, DC
Local Statewide Related
2022 Providence mayoral election
The 2022 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 8, 2022.
Since Providence limits mayors to two consecutive terms,[ 13] incumbent mayor Jorge Elorza , a Democrat , was term-limited and thus could not run for reelection to a third consecutive term in office.[ 26]
Eliminated in primary [ edit ]
Michael Solomon, former Providence City Council president and 2014 mayoral candidate[ 34] [ 26] [ 35] (endorsed Smiley)
Lorne Adrian, businessman and 2014 independent mayoral candidate[ 26] [ 36]
Dylan Conley, candidate for United States House of Representatives in 2020 [ 37]
Kobi Dennis, community activist and 2018 mayoral candidate[ 26] [ 38] [ 36]
Grace Diaz , Rhode Island state representative [ 26] [ 38] [ 36] (endorsed Cuervo)
Raymond Hull , Rhode Island state representative[ 38] [ 36]
John Igliozzi, Providence City Council president[ 26] [ 38] [ 36] [ 39]
John J. Lombardi , Rhode Island state representative, former acting mayor, and 2010 mayoral candidate[ 26] [ 38] [ 36]
David Salvatore, city councilor[ 26] [ 38] [ 36]
Gonzalo Cuervo
State legislators
Local officials
Jorge Elorza , mayor of Providence[ 44]
Mary Kay Harris, member of the Providence city council from Ward 11[ 45]
Kat Kerwin , member of the Providence city council[ 40]
Rachel Miller, member of the Providence city council[ 40]
Angel Taveras , former mayor of Providence (2011–2015)[ 40]
Organizations
Rhode Island Latino PAC[ 43]
Labor unions
Nirva LaFortune
State legislators
Mayors
Local officials
Organizations
Brett Smiley
Statewide officials
State legislators
Local officials
Michael Correia, Providence city councilman[ 50]
JoAnn Ryan, Providence city councilwoman[ 50]
Michael Solomon, former Providence city council president and withdrawn candidate in this election[ 51]
James Taylor, Providence city councilman[ 50]
Oscar Vargas, Providence city councilman from the 15th ward[ 52]
Organizations
Official campaign websites
U.S. Senate U.S. House (election ratings ) Governors Attorneys general Secretaries of state State treasurers Other statewide elections
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Texas
Vermont
State legislatures
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Mayors
Anaheim, CA
Auburn, AL
Austin, TX
Charlotte, NC
Columbia, MO
Denton, TX
Gainesville, FL
Greensboro, NC
Henderson, NV
Irvine, CA
Laredo, TX
Lexington, KY
Little Rock, AR
Long Beach, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Louisville, KY
Lubbock, TX
Milwaukee, WI (special)
Newark, NJ
Newport News, VA
Norman, OK
North Las Vegas, NV
Oakland, CA
Oklahoma City, OK
Pensacola, FL
Providence, RI
Raleigh, NC
Reno, NV
San Bernardino, CA
San Jose, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Shreveport, LA
Tallahassee, FL
Washington, DC
Local
Anne Arundel County, MD
Baltimore County, MD
Cook County, IL
Cuyahoga County, OH
Frederick County, MD
Harford County, MD
Hennepin County, MN
Howard County, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County, CA
Maricopa County, AZ
Montgomery County, MD
Navajo Nation
Orange County, CA
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
Prince George's County, MD
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Shelby County, TN
Tulsa, OK
Washington, DC
Wicomico County, MD
Statewide Other
^ "Municipal Results Providence RI GENERAL ELECTION, November 3, 1998" . elections.ri.gov . Rhode Island Board of Elections. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
^ "2002 - Explore a Year in LGBTQ History | Pride & Progress" . www.prideandprogress.org . Retrieved July 14, 2021 .
^ a b c "Providence, R.I., elects gay mayor (6882)" . www.advocate.com . November 7, 2002. Retrieved July 14, 2021 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Convicted Mayor Out of Favor, Not His Issues" . Newspapers.com . Los Angeles Times. The Associated Press. September 5, 2002. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
^ a b c d e f "Seven make ballot for mayoral race" . Newspapers.com . The Boston Globe. July 16, 2002. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
^ "Election Results" . Rhode Island Board of Elections. September 10, 2002. Archived from the original on February 27, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2021 .
^ "2002 Primary Turnout" . www.elections.state.ri . Rhode Island Board of Elections. Archived from the original on April 6, 2003.
^ "Providence City Survey, Sept. 2002" . www.insidepolitics.org . 2002. Retrieved July 15, 2021 .
^ "Rhode Island Election Results" . Rhode Island State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on June 23, 2003.
^ a b "Rhode Island Election Results" . www.elections.ri.gov . Rhode Island Board of Elections. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006.
^ "Election Results" . Rhode Island Board of Elections.[dead link ]
^ Smith, Michelle R. (January 3, 2011). "New Providence Mayor Angel Taveras sworn in" . The Boston Globe . Associated Press. Retrieved January 3, 2011 .
^ a b Winograd, Max (December 8, 2006). "Providence votes to establish term limits for council members, mayor" . Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved December 5, 2019 .
^ "Mayor CITY OF PROVIDENCE" . September 23, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2019 .
^ "Mayor CITY OF PROVIDENCE" . December 17, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2019 .
^ McGowan, Dan (November 10, 2020). "The race for Providence mayor is already underway - The Boston Globe" . BostonGlobe.com . Retrieved November 13, 2020 .
^ "Mayor CITY OF PROVIDENCE" . September 26, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2019 .
^ Smith, Michelle R. (October 27, 2014). "Obama endorses Democrat in Providence mayoral race" . San Diego Union-Tribune. The Associated Press. Retrieved November 29, 2019 .
^ Hill, John (July 14, 2014). "Lorne Adrain drops out of Providence mayoral race" . providencejournal.com . Providence Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2020 .
^ Hill, John (July 16, 2014). "providencejournal.com" . www.providencejournal.com . Providence Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2020 .
^ "Mayor CITY OF PROVIDENCE" . December 3, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2019 .
^ "Elorza wins Democratic nomination for Providence mayor" . WPRI . September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018 .
^ a b "Mayor CITY OF PROVIDENCE" . September 19, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2019 .
^ Fenton, Josh (April 24, 2018). "EXCLUSIVE: Poll Shows Elorza Vulnerable in Re-Election Bid for Providence Mayor" . GoLocalProv. Retrieved November 29, 2019 .
^ "Mayor CITY OF PROVIDENCE" . November 21, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2019 .
^ a b c d e f g h McGowan, Dan (November 25, 2019). "Who isn't running for Providence mayor in 2022? - The Boston Globe" . BostonGlobe.com . Retrieved November 15, 2020 .
^ Machado, Steph (October 21, 2020). "Smiley moves toward Providence mayoral run" . WPRI.com . Retrieved November 16, 2020 .
^ Machado, Steph (March 22, 2021). "Pulse of Providence Ep. 10: Brett Smiley" . WPRI.com . Retrieved March 26, 2021 .
^ Turner, Dominique (February 10, 2021). "Brett Smiley steps down as Department of Administration director" . abc6.com . WLNE-TV. Retrieved August 25, 2021 .
^ Fenton, Josh (December 21, 2020). "NEW: Top Democratic Staffer Cuervo Makes 2022 Providence Mayoral Bid Official UPDATED" . GoLocalProv . Retrieved January 16, 2021 .
^ Russo, Amy (August 7, 2021). "Here's how Providence's mayoral contenders say they'd address crime, violence and the police" . The Providence Journal . Retrieved August 25, 2021 .
^ "Pulse of Providence Ep. 12: Gonzalo Cuervo" . WPRI . July 19, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021 .
^ "Nirva LaFortune announces run for Providence mayor" . WPRI.com . September 27, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021 .
^ Nagle, Kate (June 10, 2021). "EXCLUSIVE: Solomon to Run for Mayor of Providence in 2022" . GoLocalProv . Retrieved July 12, 2021 .
^ "Michael Solomon drops out of Providence mayoral race in 'tough decision' " .
^ a b c d e f g McGowan, Dan (December 17, 2018). "A way-too-early guide to the 2022 Providence mayoral race" . WPRI.com . Retrieved November 14, 2020 .
^ Marrocco, Jacob (November 20, 2020). "Conley discusses lessons from primary run, potential 2022 interests" . Johnston Sun Rise .
^ a b c d e f McGowan, Dan (November 10, 2020). "The race for Providence mayor is already underway - The Boston Globe" . BostonGlobe.com . Boston Gobe. Retrieved November 13, 2020 .
^ Machado, Steph (April 13, 2021). "John Igliozzi elected president of Providence City Council" . WPRI.com . WPRI-TV. Retrieved May 12, 2021 .
^ a b c d e f g h "RI Political Diary: Cuervo Lands Endorsement, Brown Hires New Field Director" .
^ "RI Political Diary: McKee v. Raimando Approval, Cuervo Endorsed by Bell, Nurses Support McKee" . www.golocalprov.com . July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022 .
^ "Cuervo Emerges as the Progressive Candidate for Mayor of Providence" . www.golocalprov.com . July 26, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f g h i Fitzpatrick, Edward. "Rhode Island political news: August" . The Boston Globe . Retrieved August 28, 2022 .
^ "Elorza Stiffs Former Top Staffer Smiley and Endorses Cuervo for Mayor of Providence Instead" . www.golocalprov.com . August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022 .
^ a b "LaFortune Endorsed by Former Boston Mayor and Latest News From Campaigns" . www.golocalprov.com . June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022 .
^ Seoane, Michael (April 15, 2022). "Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune runs for mayor of Providence on platform of education reform, affordable housing" . www.browndailyherald.com . The Brown Daily Herald . Retrieved June 20, 2022 .
^ "State Rep. Ranglin-Vassell Endorses LaFortune for Mayor" . www.golocalprov.com . March 16, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022 .
^ "RI Political Diary: LaFortune Lands Boston Councilor's Endorsement, But None From Prov and More" . June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022 .
^ "Democracy for America : Our Candidates" . Democracy for America . Retrieved July 16, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f g "Cuervo and Smiley Are Piling Up Endorsements for Mayor" . www.golocalprov.com . December 15, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2022 .
^ Machado, Steph (May 31, 2022). "Solomon backs Smiley after exiting Providence mayoral race" . www.wpri.com . WPRI-TV . Retrieved June 20, 2022 .
^ "RI Political Diary: Baldelli Hunt Endorses Pryor and Vargas Gives Nod to Smiley" . www.golocalprov.com . July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022 .
^ Fenton, Josh (June 28, 2021). "Smiley Receives Endorsement From LGBTQ Victory Fund" . GoLocalProv . Retrieved July 12, 2021 .
^ "2022 Democratic primary results" . Retrieved September 24, 2022 .