Rhode Island’s 1st district became vacant on May 31, 2023 when former Rep. David Cicilline resigned to become the CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation. The governor set the special election for November 7, 2023 with a filing deadline of June 30 and the all important primary election on September 5. The 1st district is safely Democratic, so winning the primary election was tantamount to be elected for this seat.
At first, Rep. Gabe Amo was seen as a longshot and an underdog. Then, he released a poll showing his campaign in second place. Internal polls are often taken with a grain of salt, but this one put him on the radar for winning the messy primary with 12 different people seeking the seat.
Mr. Amo began the race with little name recognition across Rhode Island, but his campaign was buoyed by more than $600,000 in donations from individuals and super PACs. Mr. Amo leaned into his professional background, which includes a stint serving former Gov. Gina Raimondo, now the U.S. secretary of commerce and his upbringing in the Ocean State.
Democrat Gabe Amo on Thursday released a poll showing him surging to second place in Rhode Island’s Sept. 5 congressional primary, with Aaron Regunberg leading the pack and Sabina Matos falling well behind.
The poll of 451 voters conducted for Amo’s campaign found Regunberg at 28%, Amo at 19%, Matos tied with Sandra Cano at 11% each, and Don Carlson at 8%, with 15% still undecided.
Amo’s team released the full poll results — an unusual move by a major campaign — in an effort to give them credibility with reporters and voters. The survey did not list all 12 Democrats on the ballot in the primary by name, only the five who have had enough resources to run TV ads, with the others lumped in as an option for “another candidate not mentioned here.”
The Amo campaign poll suggests the scandal over forged campaign signatures has done heavy damage to Matos’s image among primary voters. She is now viewed unfavorably by 44% of primary voters, up from 24% in a previous poll they did in June, while her favorable rating has dropped to 24% from 44%.
The primary turned heated near the finish line, but Rep. Gabe Amo prevailed with 32% of the vote, which was 7 points better than his nearest rival for this district. Again, this was tantamount to election in a safely blue district.
Amo was leading former state Rep. Aaron Regunberg as of 10 p.m., according to unofficial results released by the R.I. Board of Elections. State Sen. Sandra Cano and Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos were in third and fourth place, respectively.
Amo’s father was literally jumping for joy after learning the outcome. Along with his family, friends and supporters, Amo’s watch party had appearances from Congressman Seth Magaziner, Secretary of State Gregg Amore and even Cano by the end of the night.
His win marks an ongoing transition away from the state’s Italian-American political hierarchy, which was embodied by the late Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, Providence’s charismatic longtime mayor who went to prison for corruption.
“I certainly believe I am part of a generational shift that has been under way before me,” Amo said.
Amo defeated Leonard, a US marine veteran who won the two-candidate GOP primary.
Today, I profile the newest Democratic face in Congress, Rep. Gabe Amo!
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Rep. Gabe Amo (Rhode Island-1)
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