# Mayoral elections in Providence, Rhode Island

Elections in Rhode Island :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1864
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1790
1791
1792
1793
1796
1796 sp
1797
1797 sp
1798
1801 sp
1802
1804
1804 sp
1807 sp
1808
1809 sp
1810
1811 sp
1814
1816
1821 sp
1823
1823 sp
1825 sp
1827
1829
1829 sp
1833
1835
1841
1842 sp
1844 sp
1853
1856
1858
1862
1862 sp
1864
1868
1870
1874
1875
1876
1880
1881 sp
1882
1885 sp
1886
1888
1889 sp
1892
1894
1898
1900
1905
1908 sp
1911
1913
1916
1918
1922
1924
1924 sp
1928
1930
1934
1936
1940
1942
1946
1948
1950 sp
1952
1954
1958
1960
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
U.S. House of Representatives elections
Aug 1790
Oct 1790
1792
1794
1796
AL sp
1797
AL sp
1798
1800–01
1802
1804
1806
1808
AL sp
1810
1812
1814
1816
1818
1820
1822
1825
1827
1829
1831
1833
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1861
1863
1865
1867
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1881
1st sp
1882
1884
1885
2nd sp
1886
1887
2nd sp
1888
1890
1892
1893
2nd sp
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
3rd sp
1932
1934
1935
1st sp
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1967
2nd sp
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2023
1st sp
2024 :
State government
General elections
2014
2018
2020
2022
Gubernatorial elections
1776
1787
1789
1801
1802
1803
1804
1805
1806
1807
1808
1809
1810
1811
1812
1813
1814
1815
1816
1817
1818
1819
1820
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886
1887
1888
1889
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
2014
2018
2022
Secretary of State elections
2014
2018
2022
Attorney General elections
2014
2018
2022
General Treasurer elections
2014
2018
2022
Senate elections
2020
2022
House of Representatives elections
2020
2022 :
Ballot measures
2020
Question 1 :
Providence
Mayoral elections
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022 :
vte :
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.

## 1998

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.
1998 Providence mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Buddy Cianci | 23,746 | 96.84 |
| | Write-in | Others | 774 | 3.16 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 24,520 | 100 |

## 2002

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).

### Democratic primary

The Democratic Party held its primary election on September 10, 2002.

#### Candidates

* David Cicilline, member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives since 1995
* David V. Igliozzi, Rhode Island state senator and former Providence city councilor
* Kevin McKenna, attorney
* Joseph R. Paolino Jr., former mayor of Providence (1984–1991) and former United States ambassador to Malta (1994–1996)
Withdrew
* Thomas O'Connor

#### Polls

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | David Cicilline | David Igliozzi | Kevin McKenna | Joseph R. Paolino Jr. | Undecided |
| | | | ± 4.5% | 50% | 10% | 4% | 32% | 4% |

#### Campaigning

David Ciciline and Kevin McKenna launched their campaigns prior to the June conviction of incumbent mayor Buddy Cianci, and criticized the disgraced mayor. Paolino and Igliozzi launched their candidacies after Cianci's conviction, and did not openly criticize Cianci. Igliozzi had once worked in the city's solicitor's office during Cianci's mayoralty.
Paloino pledged to revitalize blighted areas of the city by cleaning up their parks and schools, and by increasing community police officers.
Ciciline also advocated for the arts, and proposed making gallery and studio space available to more residents.
While Ciciline was openly gay, Paolino sought to challenge him for support of the city's gay voters.

#### Results

2002 Providence Democratic mayoral primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | David N. Cicilline | 14,167 | 52.09 |
| | Democratic | Joseph R. Paolino, Jr. | 9,253 | 34.02 |
| | Democratic | David V. Igliozzi | 3,047 | 11.20 |
| | Democratic | Christopher Young | 730 | 2.68 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,197 | 28.38 |

### General election
#### Candidates

* David Cicilline (Democrat), member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives since 1995
* Greg Gerritt (Green)
* David Talin (Republican)
* Christopher Young (independent)
Withdrew
* Pat Cortelessa (independent)
* Robert Farrow (independent)

#### Campaigning

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.
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.

#### Polls

Throughout the campaign, Cecilline was a strong leader in polls.
| 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 | September 14–22, 2002 | 506 LV | ± 4% | 70% | 2% | 4% | 1% | 23% |

#### Results

2002 Providence mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | David N. Cicilline | 29,843 | 83.83 |
| | Republican | David B. Talan | 3,453 | 9.70 |
| | Green | Greg Gerritt | 1,371 | 3.85 |
| | Independent | Christopher F. Young | 931 | 2.62 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 35,598 | 100 |

## 2006

The 2006 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 7, 2006. It saw the reelection of incumbent Democrat David Cicilline.

### Democratic primary

The Democratic Party's primary election was held on September 12, 2006.

#### Candidates

* David Cicilline, incumbent mayor since 2003
* Christopher F. Young, perennial candidate (including as the Reform nominee for United States Senate in 2000 and as a candidate for mayor in 2002)

#### Results

2006 Providence Democratic mayoral primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | David N. Cicilline (incumbent) | 11,849 | 73.95 |
| | Democratic | Christopher F. Young | 4,175 | 26.06 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 16,024 | 100 |

### General election

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.
2006 Providence mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | David N. Cicilline (incumbent) | 30,835 | 83.44 |
| | Republican | Daniel S. Harrop III | 6,119 | 16.56 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 36,954 | 100 |

## 2010

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.
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.

### Democratic primary
#### Results

Primary election results :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Angel Taveras | 11,897 | 49.1% |
| Democratic | John J. Lombardi | 7,050 | 29.1% |
| Democratic | Steven M. Costantino | 4,867 | 20.1% |
| Democratic | Christopher Young | 392 | 1.6% |

### General election
#### Results

General election results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Angel Taveras | 27,528 | 82.1% |
| | Independent | Jonathan P. Scott | 6,006 | 17.9% |

## 2014

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.

### Democratic primary

The Democratic primary was held on September 9, 2014.

#### Results

Despite still appearing on the ballot, Brett Smiley had withdrawn and endorsed Elorza before the primary was held.
2014 Providence Democratic mayoral primary :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Jorge Elorza | 11,051 | 48.7% |
| Democratic | Michael A. Solomon | 9,870 | 43.5% |
| Democratic | Christopher F. Young | 1,049 | 4.6% |
| Democratic | Brett Smiley | 745 | 3.3% |

### General election

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.
On July 14, 2014, businessman Lorne Adrian withdrew his independent candidacy.
Independent candidate Jeffrey E. Lemire failed to get his name on the ballot.
Cianci had previously served as mayor 1975–84 and 1991–2002, each time being ousted due to criminal convictions. A prominent issue was made of his past convictions. Ciacni characterized Elorza as inexperienced, and called a possible return to the mayoralty for a third tenure as a "last rodeo" for himself.

#### Results

2014 Providence mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jorge O. Elorza | 20,027 | 52.1% |
| | Independent | Vincent A. Cianci, Jr. | 17,306 | 45.0% |
| | Republican | Daniel S. Harrop | 1,049 | 2.6% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 88 | 0.2% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 38,470 | |

## 2018

The 2018 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 6, 2018. The election saw the reelection of Jorge Elorza.

### Democratic primary

On September 12, 2018, incumbent mayor Jorge Elorza won renomination by the Democratic Party, defeating challengers Kobi Dennis and Robert DeRobbio.
Elorza had been endorsed by the party organization ahead of the primary.

#### Polls

| 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 | April 4–8, 2019 | 424 | ± 5% | 6.5% | 8.3% | 5.4% | 35.9% | 18.3% | 8.2% | 17.3% |
| John Zogby Strategies | April 4–8, 2019 | 424 | ± 5% | – | – | – | 45.8% | 33.3% | – | – |

#### Results

Primary election results :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Jorge O. Elorza (incumbent) | 13,363 | 57.4% |
| Democratic | Kobi Jason Dennis | 5,425 | 23.3% |
| Democratic | Robert A. DeRobbio | 4,493 | 19.3% |

### General election
#### Results

2018 Providence mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jorge O. Elorza (incumbent) | 26,935 | 63.6% |
| | Independent | Dianne S. Witman | 14,016 | 33.1% |
| | Independent | Jeffrey E. Lemire | 1,172 | 2.8% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 212 | 0.5% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 42,335 | 100 |

## 2022

The 2022 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election was held on November 8, 2022.
Since Providence limits mayors to two consecutive terms, incumbent mayor Jorge Elorza, a Democrat, was term-limited and thus could not run for reelection to a third consecutive term in office.

### Democratic primary
#### Candidates
##### Nominee

* Brett Smiley, former Rhode Island director of administration and 2014 mayoral candidate

##### Eliminated in primary

* Gonzalo Cuervo, former deputy secretary of state and former chief of staff to Secretary of State of Rhode Island Nellie Gorbea
* Nirva LaFortune, Providence city councilor

##### Withdrew

* Michael Solomon, former Providence City Council president and 2014 mayoral candidate (endorsed Smiley)

##### Declined

* Lorne Adrian, businessman and 2014 independent mayoral candidate
* Dylan Conley, candidate for United States House of Representatives in 2020
* Kobi Dennis, community activist and 2018 mayoral candidate
* Grace Diaz, Rhode Island state representative (endorsed Cuervo)
* Raymond Hull, Rhode Island state representative
* John Igliozzi, Providence City Council president
* John J. Lombardi, Rhode Island state representative, former acting mayor, and 2010 mayoral candidate
* David Salvatore, city councilor

#### Endorsements

State legislators
* Jose Batista, state representative
* Sam Bell, state senator
* Grace Diaz, state representative
* Maryellen Goodwin, state senator
* Tiara Mack, state senator
* Ramon Perez, state representative
* Ana Quezada, state senator
* David Morales, state representative
Local officials
* Jorge Elorza, mayor of Providence
* Mary Kay Harris, member of the Providence city council from Ward 11
* Kat Kerwin, member of the Providence city council
* Rachel Miller, member of the Providence city council
* Angel Taveras, former mayor of Providence (2011–2015)
Organizations
* Rhode Island Latino PAC
Labor unions
* Brown Graduate Labor Organization
* International Association of Firefighters Local 799
State legislators
* Rebecca Kislak, state representative
* Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, state representative
* Sam Zurier, state senator
Mayors
* Kim Janey, former acting mayor of Boston
Local officials
* Ruthzee Louijeune, member of the Boston City Council
Organizations
* The Collective PAC
* Democracy for America
* EMILY's list
* Rhode Island Democratic Women's Caucus
* Vote Pro-Choice
Statewide officials
* Charles J. Fogarty, former Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island (1999–2007)
State legislators
* Edith Ajello, state representative
* Rhoda Perry, former state senator
* Myrth York, former state senator
Local officials
* Michael Correia, Providence city councilman
* JoAnn Ryan, Providence city councilwoman
* Michael Solomon, former Providence city council president and withdrawn candidate in this election
* James Taylor, Providence city councilman
* Oscar Vargas, Providence city councilman from the 15th ward
Organizations
* LGBTQ Victory Fund

#### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Brett Smiley | 9,025 | 41.84 |
| | Democratic | Gonzalo Cuervo | 7,905 | 35.64 |
| | Democratic | Nirva LaFortune | 4,643 | 21.52 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 21,573 | 100.0% |

#### External links

Official campaign websites
* Gonzalo Cuervo (D) for Mayor
* Nirva LaFortune (D) for Mayor
* Brett Smiley (D) for Mayor

### General election
#### Results

2022 Providence, Rhode Island mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Brett Smiley | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | | 100.0% |