PROVIDENCE — The final day of the Rhode Island race candidate declaration period began Wednesday with Lenny Cioe announcing he will challenge state Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio in a Democratic primary for the third time.
Candidates for public office in Rhode Island had to file their declarations of candidacy between Monday and 4 pm Wednesday. Senate candidates must obtain 100 valid signatures on nomination papers, while House of Representatives candidates must obtain 50 signatures. Nomination documents must be submitted by July 12. The primaries are on September 10 and the general elections on November 5.
Ruggerio, a Democrat from North Providence, has been in the Senate since 1984, making him the “dean” of the Senate and the chamber’s ranking member. This year, Ruggerio, 75, has been battling cancer, a case of shingles and other health problems that forced him to miss parts of the legislative session.
But on June 20 he formally announced that he plans to seek reelection to his seat in Senate District 4. And he quickly received support from top officials such as House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and the state chairwoman of the Democratic Party. , Liz Beretta-Perik.
Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, a Democrat from North Providence, Edward Fitzpatrick.
In his campaign announcement, Ruggerio invited voters in the district to come to his campaign headquarters on July 2 to sign their candidate’s nomination papers. And Cioe disagreed with that request in his campaign ad.
“There is a clear difference between the Senate president and me,” Cioe said in a statement. “He is full of arrogance, but I am a modest member of my community. He’s holding an event at his campaign headquarters where he wants people to show up and sign his paperwork to get on the ballot, so you have to go to him instead of him coming to you. I will walk from door to door to meet you, ask you questions and listen to you.”
Cioe, a 65-year-old registered nurse, also criticized Ruggerio for refusing to debate him before the last election. “If he can’t meet me on stage to debate the issues because he can’t or won’t, how can he lead the state in the Senate, doing the work of the people?” she asked.
Lenny Cioe, Democratic candidate for state Senate.
Cioe criticized state leaders for “chronic mismanagement,” saying, “Record costs are piling up, again costing taxpayers, and under Ruggerio the Providence school system is still under state control. The Washington Bridge fiasco has embarrassed our state, and the number of recently closed nursing homes and displaced seniors is heartbreaking.”
In his announcement, Ruggerio said he wants to build on “the historic relief provided to Rhode Island residents and businesses last term, including the elimination of the auto tax, the elimination of income taxes on veterans’ pensions and expanding property tax relief programs for seniors.”
He said he led efforts to double the amount of tax-exempt retirement income (from $20,000 to $50,000 for single filers and $100,000 for joint filers) and to eliminate the tangible tax for small businesses.
This session, Ruggerio said he was advocating for a package of health care bills to address the lack of primary care providers and reduce medical debt, while increasing investments in education and child care and providing cost subsidies. life for some public pensioners.
“Rhode Islanders are struggling under the weight of inflation, which is why my primary focus has been on providing relief to struggling residents and businesses,” Ruggerio said.
Ruggerio defeated Cioe in the 2022 primaries, with 59.5 percent of the votes compared to Cioe’s 34.7 percent. AND In 2020, Ruggerio defeated Cioe54.7 percent to 45.3 percent. Ruggerio had $166,445 in his campaign account as of March 31, while Cioe had $15.91 in her account.
– This story will be updated throughout the day as candidates file statements.
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