2016 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
The 2016 United States presidential election in Rhode Island took place on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Rhode Island voters chose four electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote. Although a "safe blue state", Trump improved on Romney's performance; Romney lost the state by 27 points, whereas Trump lost by less than 16 points. In 2012, Mitt Romney won only three towns in Rhode Island. Donald Trump won  14 towns and even narrowly flipped Kent County, making this the first time a Republican has won a county in the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984. As of 2020, this was the last election in which the towns of Lincoln, Richmond, and West Warwick backed the Republican candidate for president. All three towns had a long history of voting for Democrats before Trump won them in 2016, but in 2020 they were won by Joe Biden. The other nine towns that Trump flipped in 2016 remained Republican in 2020, a sign that Republican gains in Rhode Island in 2016  marked the beginning of a small realignment in state politics, especially among white working class voters. Primaries. Democratic primary. Four candidates appeared on the Democratic presidential primary ballot: Republican primary. Three candidates appeared on the Republican presidential primary ballot: