Vargas Beats De Los Santos in Ward 15 Race in Prov., Blow to McKee’s Gubernatorial Strategy

Vargas Beats De Los Santos in Ward 15 Race in Prov., Blow to McKee’s Gubernatorial Strategy

The results are not final but it looks as if Oscar Vargas has soundly defeated Doris De Los Santos in the Democratic primary in Ward 15 for the Providence City Council.  Santos was the handpicked candidate of Lt. Governor Sabina Matos who formerly represented the ward.

Vargas received few endorsements while De Los Santo piled up top-level support from the political operation of Governor Dan McKee and Matos.

Matos’s husband Patrick Ward was an active organizer of the De Los Santos campaign.

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While De Los Santos was piling up the pubic endorsements, Vargas was chasing down votes. 

"WE WON, GANAMOS. THOUSANDS OF THANKS, MILES DE GRACIAS!!," Vargas posted to Facebook on Tuesday night.

Vargas won 44.2% of the vote in a four-way race and De Los Santos collected just 34%.  Casandra Inez got 13.4% and Santos Javier just 8.6% as of 9 PM of Tuesday as reported by the RI Board of Elections. 

Fewer than 900 votes were cast in the race. 

 

Matos Selection Under Microscope

For McKee, De Los Santos’ loss may be sparking some worry.

Part of the calculation in selecting Matos at his Lt. Governor was the belief that she could help a 2022 gubernatorial McKee run by attracting Latino voters.

McKee is expected to face General Treasurer Seth Magaziner, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and already formally announced Nellie Gorbea.