Democrats have dominated the General Assembly since the 1930s. So will an angry electorate produce Republican gains on Smith Hill?
Let’s start in House District 12, which includes the heavily Latino Washington Park section of Providence. Being able to speak Spanish comes in handy when independent state rep candidate Luis Vargas goes knocking on doors in search of votes.
Vargas is 23 and a recent graduate of Roger Williams University. He’s making his second run for the General Assembly against Democratic state Rep. Joseph Almeida, a more than 14-year incumbent. Here’s part of what Vargas tells voters: “I believe we’ve had enough of the same old, same old at the Statehouse, and I think it’s time for a change. I’m looking to make a difference, so hopefully I can count on your vote.”
Vargas is running as an independent, even though he serves as director of community development for the state Republican Party. He said he’s an independent because he wants to avoid the divisive rhetoric of national politics. But Vargas acknowledged that running as a Republican would be a tough climb in overwhelmingly Democratic Providence.
“I do think it’d be more difficult,” he said. “I think the Republican Party for a long time has ignored our area of Providence, Washington Park and the South Side.”
Vargas has high hopes for his own campaign. But Republicans hold just 18 seats in the 113-seat General Assembly.
The GOP aims to increase its legislative representation by tapping into voter anger over tolls planned for big trucks. But the departure of four incumbent Republicans in the House, and one in the Senate, makes it more difficult for the minority party to gain ground even with the elimination of the so-called master lever.
State Republican Chairman Brandon Bell said the GOP’s best hope is to keep slogging away for incremental progress.
“I’m hoping that we increase our numbers, but I’m not delusional to think that we’re going to end up with any kind of majority this year,” Bell said. “Slow steps.”
There was a time when Republicans held the kind of stranglehold that Democrats now have on Rhode Island politics. But a seismic shift in the 1930s ushered in an era of Democratic dominance that shows no sign of ending.
Republicans can tick off reasons why it would be good to elect more GOP lawmakers: Periodic ethics lapses by legislative Democrats; Rhode Island’s long-running economic struggles. But GOP chairman Bell said attracting good candidates is difficult, in part because the Statehouse is perceived as an ethics quagmire.
“As I’ve said before, I think a lot of people are deterred from running because they see what goes on up there and they say, ‘why would I want to be a part of that?’ And we have to overcome that, we have to get people to step up to the plate,” Bell said.
Thirty-three Republicans are competing for legislative seats in today’s election. That includes the 13 GOP incumbents seeking re-election. There are also a number of Republican-aligned independents trying to vault into Smith Hill.
Bell made a priority of putting a candidate up against Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello. Republican Steven Frias and Mattiello are locked in what is considered a competitive race. Bell says the state GOP also tried to expand its farm team by reaching out to municipal officials. In the end, he says, fewer signed on as General Assembly candidates than expected.
For their part, Democrats say Republicans struggle to win more legislative seats because the GOP is not in tune with Rhode Island voters.
