Lawyer-activist Dawn Euer won a decisive victory Tuesday in the four-way Democratic primary for the Rhode Island Senate seat formerly held by Teresa Paiva Weed.
Euer, who was part of the organization that led to the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2013, attributed her win to grassroots support.
“We started talking to voters over four months ago and heard loud and clear what voters in this district care about,” she said in a statement. “We care about investing in our workers and small businesses to create jobs. We care about building a government that is transparent and accountable. We want to do more to stem the tide of climate change and prepare our communities for the impacts we are already seeing. And we know that our seniors deserve to get access to the care they need to age in place.”
Unofficial results show that Euer got 876 votes in District 13, composed of Newport and Jamestown. Newport School Committee Chairman David Hanos, who had been endorsed by Paiva Weed, placed second with 510 votes, followed by Newport City Councilor John Florez with 241 votes; and David Allard, a former staffer for Governor Gina Raimondo, with 195. Final tallies, with the addition of mail ballots, are expected to be certified Friday.
Euer will face Republican Michael Smith, independent candidate Kimberly Ripoli, and Green candidate Gregory Larson during an August 22 special election.
Euer’s campaign manager, Erich Haslehurst, offered this explanation for the candidates’ primary win:
“This is a testament to who Dawn is and that’s someone that is committed to her community,” he said. “Dawns message clearly resonated with the voters and they showed up in this primary to show their support.”
The progressive group Rhode Island Working Families, which worked on Euer’s behalf, also hailed her victory, pointing to it as the latest upset of an establishment-backed legislative candidate.
“Dawn is an incredible organizer, committed to working families,” said Rhode Island Working Families’ state director, Georgia Hollister Isman. “Her election victory over sitting elected officials shows that voters are hungry for true progressive champions. Dawn will always put working families priorities over politics as usual. She is exactly the kind of champion Rhode Island Working Families Party seeks out to endorse and support for service in the Rhode Island General Assembly.”
Republican Smith charged that Euer won due to special interests, including more than $10,000 in spending by Planned Parenthood Votes! RI, a political action committee.
“As a fellow candidate, I want to thank the other candidates in Tuesday’s primary for their commitment to democracy,” Smith said. “I also want to encourage their supporters to stay involved and rally around what is best for Jamestown and Newport — a voice of reason who is not bought by special interests. I encourage them to rally around my candidacy because the stakes are just too high, and the results of this primary were clear: even most of the democrats voted for a candidate besides an extremist like Euer.”
The District 13 Senate became open after Paiva Weed announced plans to leave the chamber in March to become president of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island.
