Quezada is one of 22 Democrats in the race. So why is she running, and how did she get interested in politics? I’m Ian Donnis and this week I’m going in-depth with CD1 Democratic candidate Ana Quezada.
Ian Donnis: Welcome to The Public’s Radio.
Ana Quezada: Thank you for having me.
Ian Donnis: Tell me why are you running for this open seat in the first congressional district?
Ana Quezada: Well, many reasons. But I have to say to you, I wasn’t thinking to run. That’s why I was a little late coming out, because I was thinking, you know how I’m going to get the money to run for this big district. But so many people came to me so many people, in my district, some other leaders and said, Senator Quezada, do it, do it, we will support you, we will help you. And that started, when I decide to run for this position. And, you know, I’ve been fighting since I’ve been in the Senate. I fight for many things and many issues in my district. And one of the things, when I came to the Senate, I didn’t have– I didn’t know a lot about politics, because I never been in another other position. I didn’t know. One thing that I knew was what the issues in my community. And I knew what it is for people who work in a factory what it is for people who make minimum wage, what it is for people who are having day care issues, what was the issue for people who having overdose. And the issue I knew was the issue in my community about DCYF. And the DHS issues and many other issues.
Ian Donnis: Let me stop you there. Because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. There are a huge number of candidates running in this race. As you know, 35 candidates have declared they each have to return 500 signatures to qualify for the ballot. You’re one of 22 Democrats running, is it good or bad that there are so many people running?
Ana Quezada: Well, for me, it’s good, for me it’s good, because the more people running, I see like when you buy a cake, and you buy a cake, depending on the many people who come to your party, and the more people in the race, the less people the less votes that you need to get. Then that’s the way I see it. I had a very good solid vote in my district because my whole district two is in district one, CD-1. Than for me, I think it is worth finding how many of those 22 will stay in the race, we will know on the 14th of this month.
Ian Donnis: You have won four terms as a state senator from Providence, so you certainly do have support from your state senate district. But some of the other Democrats running for the first congressional district seat are better known they’ve run statewide in the past, they will probably have considerably more money. What is your path to victory in this race?
Ana Quezada: To be honest to you money is not the one who’s going to stop. I know I’m the underdog in this race, because of money, why? And other things. But one thing that I have the other candidate don’t have is a lot of volunteers who are willing to work for me for free. I have many supporters. Everybody who helped me meet is from Rhode Island. I didn’t bring nobody from Washington. I didn’t bring anybody from another state to be in my campaign. Everybody’s from Rhode Island. People who are connected to Rhode Island. In my way to victory is work hard, knock as many doors I cann, connect to the Rhode Island voters. I’m a regular Rhode Islander, somebody who work in Rhode Island for many, many years. I’ve been in Rhode Island for 33 years, then I know the people I know how to connect with people and that’s what I’m planning to do in this election, that’s my way to victory. People who knows Rhode Island people who work in Rhode Island people who live in Rhode Island. I want to bring Rhode Island to Washington now Washington to Rhode Island,
Ian Donnis: Senator Quezada, why did you not run when there was an open seat in the second district last year?
Ana Quezada: Because once I said to you again, I would never had made it and that district it’s very conservative district. It never passed my head to run for this office at that time, because you need at least a million dollar that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get it. Then that was the reason I didn’t run for that. I didn’t live in district two, either. Now I do live in district one. And because of special election, once and so many people in the race, I have more possibility, and I will win this election.
Ian Donnis: For people who are struggling to get by economically What if you were the next member of Congress? How would you try to help them?
Ana Quezada: Well, I you know, I’m not going to say when I’m going to do, what I’m going to do, and this and that, but I’m going to tell you what I’ve done for working families. And I passed the minimum wage. I was able to pass legislation that affect working families, and that’s what I’m planning to do in Washington. How: increasing the minimum wage nationwide, like we did in Rhode Island for $15 an hour that I did it three years, four years ago. Raising, making sure that we bring the resources that Rhode Island need and making sure we put inflation down. And I really — because people talking about inflation like is it because oh — the stimulus money, it was too much to that government gave it to us, or the interest rate is too high? I don’t I don’t believe that, I think is big corporation, making big money, making big profit. And I think we need to bring those corporations down, sit down with them, make them to pay the taxes that they need to pay, make sure that they you know, the inflation go down because they are making things sure to make more profits on us and does what I believe we need to do in Washington,
Ian Donnis: The minimum wage was nothing to sneeze at. And you’re one of a number of lawmakers who supported raising the minimum wage in Rhode Island but Democrats have been running the legislature for many, many decades and Rhode Island still struggles with its economy. How come Democrats haven’t been able to make more progress in improving Rhode Island’s economy?
Ana Quezada: Well, I cannot tell you what other Democrats done but I can tell you what I’ve done. And I believe they we’re going in the right direction in Rhode Island and big companies coming to Rhode Island and we need to bring more jobs to Rhode Island to be able to increase our revenue for more taxes for more people to be able to find great good paying jobs. And I believe Governor McKee, and previous governor Gina Raimondo did a great job bringing more companies to Rhode Island to be able to open jobs, more jobs and bring more revenue to the state. And the last 50 years that we have our time our revenue for taxes, it was pretty good, then I think we are going in the right place, and we’re going in the right direction to the state. And I will continue the same path and Washington to bring resources to Rhode Island to increase and to bring people to show Rhode Island is the right place for you to bring your company and grow company here and bring jobs and bring economic, clean energy and things like that that would bring great paid jobs to people in Rhode Island.
Ian Donnis: I’ve got to ask you about your colleague in the state senate Cranston state senator Josh Miller, who was recently arrested and charged with vandalism He’s accused of keying an SUV. Do you think he should resign? Yes or no?
Ana Quezada: No, no, I think that so it’s his job to decide what he wanted to do and how he wanted to work with this. I know Senator Miller, I don’t know what happened to him at that moment. We’re are human and we all made mistake. And he just has to share what happened that day. And whatever consequences he’s had to show that he had to deal with that himself, and that will be his choices.
Ian Donnis: We’re talking here with state senator Ana Quezada, one of the many Democrats running in the first congressional district. You were the Senate sponsor of a bill this year to reduce the amount of interest that could be charged by payday lenders. The bill cleared the house but did not get a vote in the state senate. Why is it that Senate President Dominic Ruggiero is so reluctant to allow a vote on this issue?
Ana Quezada: Well this legislation previous to be my bill, it was Senator Metts’ legislation for many years. When he lost his seat, he asked me to please continue this legislation and I do believe in this legislation. And I’ve been continually putting it in every year.
Ian Donnis: The question really, though, is why is President Ruggierio so– you must have some thoughts of your own on why he’s so unwilling to allow a vote on this.
Ana Quezada: To be honest to you he and I did have a conversation he think is not the right time to pass this legislature. But I really believe is who behind this legislation and who’s the lobby behind the legislation and who that don’t doesn’t go through and the Senate side, and I think it’s the right thing to do. I was very upset when that legislation passed the House and didn’t pass in the Senate, didn’t even have a hearing in the Senate. How bad it was. They didn’t even went to a hearing. I requested many times to the chair or the hearing Senators [names] and she asked — she told me, Senator, that the leadership said it’s not the time for that legislation yet.
Ian Donnis: President Ruggerio has been in the legislature for a long time but eventually a time will come when he will pass the baton the heir apparent in the Senate appears to be majority leader Ryan Pearson. Are you committed to supporting Ryan Pearson to be the next president when that transition happens?
Ana Quezada: I will pass that bridge when I go through. I don’t know. No, because we don’t know what’s going to happen.
Ian Donnis: How did you get interested in politics?
Ana Quezada: I got an interest in politics many years ago when I moved to Smith Hill neighborhood. And my senator at that time was Mary Ellen Goodwin and representative. John McCauley, they came to my door, they knock on my house, they change my registration, they work into the neighborhood. And then he asked me, he said, My neighborhood changed a lot. I need somebody to translate for me. Can you come with me? And I said, definitely. And then I started knocking doors with him. And with Mary Allen. And then he’s — one day he sit down with me and he said, You should think about ran for office, because you are very charismatic person and people like you. And when I don’t run any more, I will love you to stay in my seat. And but I moved, I sold that property and I moved to reservoir triangle, and Representative Slater died, and Representative John McCauley call me and he said, Ana you live in that district, why you don’t run for office, I will help you. And I did. I run and I lost. And I ran and, I lost and I ran and I lost, I lost three times. And then then the community started asking me why do you don’t run for Senator? We need a change. The Senator is not doing his job and we want somebody else to go to that seat. And they insist so much that I did and I lost. And then the second time I did I win.
Ian Donnis: Quick final question. What is your favorite place to eat in the first congressional district?
Ana Quezada: Many, many places
Ian Donnis: If you just had to pick one?
Ana Quezada: Carolina on Broad Street.
Ian Donnis: Alright, State Senator Ana Quezada one of 22 Democrats running in the first congressional district in Rhode Island. Thank you very much for joining us.
Ana Quezada: Thanks to you for inviting me. Thank you so much for having me on your show. And thank you for the opportunity to address some issues in Rhode Island.
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The Democratic primary in the First Congressional District is coming up in less than two months, on September fifth. We can only wonder how much attention voters will pay to the race during the height of summer. The huge field means that someone could win the contest with a thin slice of the vote. Political Roundtable is taking a vacation next week, but it will return later in July to bring you more talk from candidates and other key figures in Rhode Island.
Thanks for listening to our show this week.
Our producer is James Baumgartner.
I’m Ian Donnis and I’ll see you on the radio.
