Will RI Democrats Nominate a Woman for Congress?

Will RI Democrats Nominate a Woman for Congress?

Democratic men dominate Rhode Island politics. All four members of the Congressional delegation are men, three of the five general officers are men and the top two leaders in both the House and Senate are men as well -- 9 of the 11 of top spots are male. 

Now, with the announced retirement of Congressman Jim Langevin for the seat in the second congression district, there will be a new member in Congress representing Rhode Island being sworn in January 2023.

In the history of Rhode Island, no Democratic woman has ever been elected to represent Rhode Island in either chamber of Congress. Only one woman has represented the state in the House of Representatives — Republican Claudine Schneider represented the second congressional from 1981 to 1991.

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She did not run for reelection after her ten years as she challenged longtime Democratic U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell in 1990 and lost 38% to Pell's 62%.

In the past 20 years, a small number of Democratic women have run for Congress.

In 2000, now-political consultant Kate Coyne-McCoy finished second to Langevin in his first run for the office in a four-way Democratic primary.

And, în 2006, Langevin was primaried by then-Brown University professor Jennifer Lawless and defeated her 60%-40%

And, in 2010, State Representative Elizabeth Dennigan ran in a three-way Democratic primary and received 34% against Langevin's 57.4%. The third candidate in the race was Earnest Greco who received 8.9%.

The question is will Rhode Island Democrats feel the pressure to run a woman.

One of America's top political scientists says maybe not.

"I don’t think there will be 'pressure' to nominate a woman for a few reasons. First, Rhode Island has come a long way in terms of women’s representation. A woman has served as governor. Women are the lieutenant governor and Secretary of State. Multiple women are running for governor this cycle," said Lawless, who today is the Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Department.

"It’s hard to make the case that women don’t have a seat at the political table. Although there hasn’t been a woman in the congressional delegation in 30 years, women are no longer excluded from electoral politics in Rhode Island. There might seem to be less urgency to elect a woman than when men’s political dominance was so strong," adds Lawless, who is a regular on GoLocal LIVE.

"Second, this race will involve crowded primaries on both sides of the aisle. It’s possible that a candidate could win the nomination with 15 percent of the vote. Given those dynamics, the reality is that party operatives, elected officials, and other king or queen makers will have limited power," said Lawless. "It could easily be anyone’s win."

"So even if they want to nominate a woman, it might not be their call. Finally, we are already seeing a diverse array of potential candidates express interest. And many are not white men. That’s major progress. But it might also decrease that sense of urgency to nominate a woman. Somewhat ironically, then, the political gains women have seen in Rhode Island, coupled with an increasingly diverse group of potential candidates, might result in the congressional delegation remaining entirely male once again," said Lawless.

 

Some Top Women Have Announced They Are Not Running

Since Langevin's announcement last week, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, who is running for governor announced that she is not a candidate for Congress. And, Sunday night another gubernatorial candidate, Helena Foulkes, announced, "Over the past few days, I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of phone calls I’ve received from Democrats across Rhode Island asking me to consider a run for Congress. I share their commitment to electing a strong Democratic candidate to serve our second congressional district and will do everything in my power to make that happen, but I will not be running for Congress myself."

"I’m running for governor because I believe my executive and leadership experience will allow me to get things done for Rhode Islanders. That is the role where I can make the most impact to improve people’s lives and unlock our state’s amazing potential. I am fired up to work with Democrats across our state to keep CD2 Democratic, and to win this race for governor and deliver for the people of Rhode Island,“ said Foulkes.

Coyne McCoy, who now consults to the Rhode Island Democratic Party, told GoLocal on Sunday she is not a candidate. "I am working on important things," said Coyne McCoy.
 

A Number of Women Have Voiced Interest

State Representative Carol McEntee (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown and Narragansett) who chairs the House Committee on Small Business, told GoLocal Saturday that she is considering a run, "I will be saying more this coming week."

And, other names are swirling, including outgoing Rhode Island Department of Heath director Nicole Alexander-Scott who has voiced some interest in running.