This week on Political Roundtable, we hear from a progressive RI Senate candidate and the GOP leader in that chamber.
First up, Jennifer Rourke, a co-founder of the RI Political Cooperative. She’s making her third run for the state Senate as a Democrat from Warwick.
Later, we’ll hear from RI Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz of North Smithfield.
Here is a transcript of the conversation:
Ian Donnis: Jennifer Rourke, you’re making your third run for the state senate seat in Warwick formally held by Michael McCaffrey. He announced a decision not to seek re-election earlier this year, after a high profile episode at the statehouse, when you were assaulted during an abortion protest. It looks like you have a pretty good shot of winning this seat. Your Democratic primary opponent has been the subject of some negative headlines. My question for you is how many seats do you think progressives will pick up in the Rhode Island Senate this year?
Jennifer Rourke: Hopefully everyone running wins their seats, that would be absolutely fantastic. So that we can actually pass the legislation that benefits the everyday person.
Donnis: I wonder if you would sketch out the best case and worst case scenario from on one hand, if every progressive running for the Rhode Island Senate wins versus those candidates not winning? How would you describe what difference that will make on a policy level in terms of what comes out of the Rhode Island Senate?
Rourke: If every progressive that’s running on the shared platform of benefiting the everyday person and small business wins, the people of Rhode Island win. Meaning the small business owners will receive a tax break that they deserve. And people will thrive instead of just fighting to survive. And I think if we don’t win, I don’t think our situation is going to get any better. I see it as staying the same if not getting worse.
Donnis: You are one of three founders of the Rhode Island Political Cooperative, a progressive group that has had some success in electing more lawmakers, your platform seems typical of the Co-Op, some of your priorities include universal health care, free quality childcare, and building 10,000 green homes. How would the state pay for those kinds of initiatives?
Rourke: Well, there’s a whole group of people in the state of Rhode Island that don’t pay the appropriate amount of taxes that they should, that will be the top 1%. And I know everyone believes that they’re part of the top 1%. But they actually are not. And in 2006, the State gave a tax break to those people. And it’s time that they pay their fair share, it shouldn’t be put on the backs of the working class people who are struggling on a daily basis. So I think by in a sense leveling the playing field, we will have the funds that we need to build those homes. But there’s also programs that, you know, cities and states in the state or not applying for through organizations like HUD to build low income and affordable housing, there are grants and there’s funding that we’re missing out on. So it’s not just we’re going to take the money from the top 1%. There are also other means of getting the money here to the state so that people can actually live.
Donnis: Your friend and colleague Matt Brown has said that rescinding that tax cut from 2006 would generate $1 billion a year for other purposes, but $1 billion is a lot of money, sure, but it’s about 1/13 of the state budget. Would that really be enough to deliver the kind of goals that you and the Rhode Island Political Cooperative are talking about?
Rourke: Yes. So for the 1 billion, if we take 700 million, there will not there will no longer be people in the state that are unhoused. There will be people that will have a roof over their heads, they will have heat, they will have a place to actually call home. And a billion dollars a year is something that is not something to just shake your hand at and say “oh, that’s nothing.” But for 700 million, we can build those 10,000 homes, we can have these union jobs that build these homes and maintain them. So a billion dollars is a lot of money. It is and it’s the possibility of making things happen in this state.
Donnis: And housing is certainly a very important issue. But if that would consume 700 million out of a billion dollars. That sounds like it’s not enough to also do universal health care.
Rourke: There are methods to figuring out a way financially, how we can make that happen. There are ways to save money, not only for ourselves as everyday people but for people who own businesses, giving them the tax breaks that they deserve, and the federal funding. And we can work with our federal legislature to make sure that we can make that happen.
Donnis: What would you point to as the best accomplishments of Rhode Island Political Cooperative supporters who’ve already won an election to the legislature what have been the top their top legislative accomplishments.
Rourke: So the big thing is getting the legalization of cannabis with automatic expungement included. Actually getting our leaders up at the General Assembly to push for and pass the minimum wage. The line item for housing, there’s a lot of things that just by running for office we were able to push the leadership to actually do something for the people in Rhode Island. And we’re just getting started.
Donnis: We should note that measures such as cannabis legalization and raising the minimum wage had broad legislative support.
Donnis : I referred to Matt Brown earlier, he’s been polling in the single digits in the race for governor so far, why do you think he has not attracted more support at this point?
Rourke: I think the difference is most people that know about Matt and his campaign, and what he’s fighting for are just everyday people that don’t actually get those phone calls. I have finally been polled for the first time. Most people don’t call me and ask me my opinion, and what I feel is best for myself. And most people don’t receive those phone calls. They are targeted towards the super voters, everyone targets the super voters, and those are the people receiving those phone calls. But they don’t think about the everyday person that is not receiving that cell phone. They are not targeting those people. They’re targeting a specific demographic, I think we will find out the results in 12 days or 13 days in a few weeks as to what the people of Rhode Island do want. And I think we need to give everyone a chance to cast their vote before we make that decision on who’s polling better or not.
Donnis: We know that Rhode Island leans very blue as a state but I wonder how you think Democrats nationally can advance progressive ideals without scaring off voters who think that the Democratic party might be moving too far to the left.
Rourke: I think the first thing they can do is actually legalize cannabis on a federal level. The people up at the federal level have an opportunity to make it better for the everyday person. There are a lot of people that use cannabis for medicinal reasons. Instead of using an opioid, they do use cannabis and I think by expunging the records or just completely eliminating the records of people that have any type of cannabis offense. It will push more people to come out and actually vote.
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Next up, Rhode Island Senate Republican Leader Jessica De La Cruz.
Donnis: How many seats do you think Republicans can realistically hope to pick up in elections for the legislature this year?
Jessica de la Cruz: Well, the way that the district is, excuse me, the redistricting happens, it’s very difficult for Republicans to pick up seats simply because of the way that the maps are made. So we definitely are aiming to keep the five seats and add a few more, if possible. And that really depends on the candidate. Are they walking? Are they talking to voters? Are they sitting on their couch? So we hope to pick up a few seats and then long term, continue to build on that, and hopefully, at some point in the near future, have enough senators to block a budget if necessary.
Donnis: And that’s five seats in the Senate, Republicans also hold 10 seats right now in the House of Representatives. How would you sketch out kind of the best case/worst case scenario for what difference it would make, depending on the fortunes of Republican candidates for the legislature this year?
de la Cruz: Well, it depends on who you talk to you. I’ve had some people say I think you’ll be able to obtain, you know, a total of 13 seats. So worst case scenario, absolute worst case scenario would be if we lost, you know, Senator Algiere’s seat and another seat and only have three senators. I don’t see that happening at all. I think, best case scenario, we we — I’m an optimist so I’d love to see many, many seats, but I think best case scenario, possibly 10. But I think maybe about seven seats.
Donnis: Now that you are the leader of the GOP caucus in the State Senate. What are your top priorities and goals for the next session?
de la Cruz: Well, I know what my priorities are, but it’s not just about my priorities. It’s going to be the caucus and what issues that we think should be tackled. And so far as I’m talking to individuals who are running for office and currently hold office, education is so important. I’m a member of the Senate Oversight Committee, have front row seat at the hearings, listening to parents really lament about what’s happening in Providence Public Schools. And it’s not just Providence, it’s other school districts as well where children have abysmal — excuse me, their math and reading scores are so low that some of them I think, have 5% percent reading proficiency and even in math, and that poses a real problem for the future of these young Rhode Islanders,
Donnis: We can agree that Rhode Island has struggled for many years to improve its public schools, as you just said, the Republican approach seems to be to try to give parents more choice about possibly sending their children to other school districts, how do you respond to the critique that that will leave behind students who don’t have a parent or guardian to advocate for them?
de la Cruz: Well, it won’t leave students behind because students do have if they don’t have a parent, they do have a guardian. And I think that what parents — even — we have to think about the students that are in public schools. Now, if there are fewer students in the classroom, those students that remain in public schools that choose to because they feel that’s the best option for them, they’re going to have more attention from their instructor, which is going to benefit them greatly. And you know, I’m a mom of three, and each one of my children are very unique. And some of them, two of them are, I would say, more traditional learners, while one happens to be not so traditional learner, and so parents know their children best. And sometimes the traditional public school setting is not what’s best for the pupil. And when we look — again, going back to my my time in the Oversight Committee, you know, one mom, and I was blown away, one mom had said that her daughter was in public school was three years behind, three grade levels behind in math, and she said, charter school was a godsend, because in one year, that child was up to date, came up three grade levels in math. So options are important for parents, and for students.
And I would say, you know, the kids that are in eighth grade that have the really low proficiencies in math and reading, they don’t have 10 years for Rhode Island to get their act together. They need options right now they need options today. And I was talking to one business owner, who said, and I think it was an auto recycling business, but I’ve been talking to a few business owners and one of them said, he has to help his employees to fill out paperwork because they can’t read it and they can’t properly fill it out because they don’t know how to spell. That’s a problem for Rhode Island’s future. How are those individuals going to care for themselves provide for themselves and even a family? So again, the sense of urgency I just don’t see it in the state. And we really need to give parents and students options.
Donnis: Republicans have high hopes for the GOP candidate for governor Ashley Kalus. I believe she’s visited you and your district. How do you respond to those who question why they should vote for someone like Kalus, who is a relatively recent transplant to Rhode Island?
de la Cruz: Well, you have to look at the field you have to see which candidates are running for office. And I will say I’ve had some friends from Cumberland reach out to me when Dan McKee, Governor Dan McKee had assumed the position of Governor after Gina Raimondo left. And they were very hopeful. And so I was very hopeful, because these are my friends, and they had voted for him as mayor. And so I was so disappointed in what has transpired over his time as governor, and so have these individuals. They will not be voting for him as governor. And I think all of the other candidates are just as progressive, if not more. And so those who are looking for a more moderate individual would find that Ashley Kalus is their best option. And I and I, I’ve walked her through the district, had voters meet with her, and I’m very excited about her candidacy. She’s been transparent with voters. She’s been forthright with them. And I think that she is the change that Rhode Island needs. And it’s not — just I just think she’s the change that Rhode Island needs.
Donnis: Speaking of elections, do you think Donald Trump is the right candidate to lead Republicans for the 2024 presidential election?
de la Cruz: I have no idea who’s running for President in 2024. No one from Washington has called me, has asked for my advice on whether or not they should run or not. But I’m sure that there will be lots of candidates that run for president. I’m excited to see who these individuals might be and who I will throw my support behind.
