Incumbent Governor Gina Raimondo will be seeking reelection to a second term. As the 75th and current governor of Rhode Island, Raimondo is the first woman to serve as the governor of Rhode Island. Raimondo won the 2014 election with 41% of the vote in a three-way race against two Republican candidates. Raimondo was elected to serve as the Vice Chair of the Democratic Governors Association for the 2018 election cycle. Raimondo is favored to win re-election
Background and Achievements
After graduating from Harvard with honors, Raimondo won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where she earned a doctorate and then proceeded to graduate from Yale Law School. With her extensive educational background, Raimondo clerked for US District Judge Kimba Wood and served as founding employee and senior vice president at Village Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Williamstown, Massachusetts, that invested in high-growth start-up companies in at least 10 emerging cities across the country. After returning to Rhode Island, Raimondo co-founded Point Judith Capital and was involved in dozens of successful start-up companies, including Providence-based NABsys, a health science research company, and Narragansett Beer.
Raimond has spent a lot of her time giving back to her community through her work with a number of local non-profits. She is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Crossroads Rhode Island, where she played a key role in launching a new homeless shelter for women. She also was a trustee at Women and Infants Hospital and Chair of its Quality Committee, and board member of Family Service of Rhode Island and LaSalle Academy.
Gina Raimondo was elected to serve as General Treasurer of Rhode Island after receiving the largest number of votes of any statewide candidate. Raimondo was only the second woman to hold this position in Rhode Island.
Positions on Key Issues
- Strong advocate for equal pay and reproductive rights
- Supports protecting the environment
- Advocate for childcare
- Fighting for the rights of the elderly population
- Supporting survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse
- Advocate for marriage equality in the LGBTQ+ community
Prospects & Opponents
Rhode Island has been won by the Democratic presidential candidates for the past five elections. Raimondo will likely win her party’s primary and is favored to win the general election.