Sandra Cano has proven to be a popular vote-getter as a local official in Pawtucket. She first won election to the school committee, then the city council, and in 2018 Cano moved up to the State Senate through a special election. Now she has a bigger challenge. Cano is one of more than 15 Democrats running for an open seat in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District. Like other candidates, Cano has limited name recognition beyond her core of support. But after coming to the U.S. from Colombia at age 16 with no understanding of English, Cano has done well for herself. She says she’d be a voice for working families and identifies with the challenges faced by many Rhode Islanders. But can Cano raise her visibility enough to win the CD1 race? And could she really make a difference if elected?
Ian Donnis: I’m Ian Donnis, and this week I’m going in-depth with CD1 Democratic candidate, Sandra Cano. Welcome to The Public’s Radio.
Sandra Cano: Thank you, Ian, for having me.
Donnis: Tell us, why are you running for this open seat in the 1st Congressional District?
Cano: I’m running because I really have a passion to help people. And I think that it’s important that we have a strong voice in Congress that has the experience that I have had, already been involved in public service for around 10 and a half years, and different, different offices. And I know the lived experiences of congressional district one residents. I have the democratic values. And I am very excited to continue to work as strong as Congressman Cicilline did for us here in Rhode Island.
Donnis: There are a lot of people running for this seat, some of whom are better known than you. What is your plan to, how will you outpace and emerge as the winner of this race?
Cano: Ian, I would tell you that throughout my time in public service, it has been really rooted by the community engagement part of, you know, campaigning. So I think that organizing the community, that really has encouraged me to run throughout the time, and making sure that I build alliances that I have been able to have throughout my career, as well. I worked for a credit union for 11 years. And I was in the community in the Blackstone Valley really building programs for the underserved communities, creating financial literacy programs. And so I do the work of the community for the community. And I will continue doing that if elected to Congress. I will tell you that it is important to recognize that I ran eight campaigns throughout my time in public service. Every time that I ran a campaign, I’ve been the top vote getter, including in CD1 as a delegate for Biden in 2020 with, I was able to get 27,000.
Donnis: If you were to win this race, you would be at the very bottom of the congressional totem pole. So how could you possibly make a difference for the lives of city one residents, if you are the next member of Congress?
Cano: It’s very important to understand that I already been done, doing this. And I will continue doing the same thing. When I first got elected, nobody really knows me. Nobody never knew what I was about. But throughout the time, I’ve been able to get the trust not only of my colleagues, and the community. And one thing that I have always done is that even if I disagree in policy, I always find a common bond in building relationships with my colleagues. So I have done that, and I think that we need a strong voice in Congress that continue those building alliances to get things done. I will say that our delegation has been extremely effective of getting investments to Rhode Island. And just being able to go there with the experience and the background that I have, not only legislatively, but also my financial background, my education background, it is important to just go there ready to have a strong voice, building those alliances, and get things done, so I can bring those investments back to Rhode Island with the delegation that we have right now.
Donnis: One of the issues that you’re highlighting in your campaign is abortion rights. You say you’re a strong supporter of abortion rights. Why is it, in your view, that Democrats were so ineffective in responding to Republicans when they made clear that they wanted to move the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction, as we’ve seen, that has overridden Roe v. Wade?
Cano: So I have been a strong supporter of the woman’s rights to choose, and I will continue doing that. I think that we are in a time where like, really, the fight of many women that have been, you know, happening through decades are at risk right now.
Donnis: The question, though, is why, you know, Republicans made no secret that they wanted to move the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction. So why were members of your party so ineffective in stopping that move by Republicans, in which they’ve succeeded?
Cano: I think that that comes back to the same question that you had before – how are you going to be able to be effective to have that strong voice? I think that it starts by the party really making sure that we build those alliances and those compromises, but also have a strong voice for the right reasons. In this case, it is like every woman in America have to have the opportunity to have their voice being heard by making sure that their legislators strongly go, they’re ready to fight, to make sure that they have the autonomy to decide for their bodies. I think it has been, that the party really needs to have more women like myself, that have lived through the experiences of other woman, being elected to make sure that we tell the stories, we get things done, and we do it strongly, for all the women that need to have a voice there in Congress.
Donnis: You are the first Latina or Latino to serve as chair of the Rhode Island Senate Education Committee. You say education has made a big difference in your own life. Why is it do you think that Rhode Island has made so little progress in improving public schools, despite decades of talk about the need to do so? And what does the state need to do differently moving forward?
Cano: I think public education needs to always be a priority of the legislative body. And that has been my priority since elected in the school committee. I think that the voice of education not only needs to be consistent, but we need to make sure that we support strongly our teachers and our early educators and making sure that we have all the time, our kids at heart, to make sure that they have the opportunity to have the best quality education in Rhode Island. That being said, I think that, with a plan that is consistent and with legislation that really proves with investments in the public system, we are able to move the needle to the right direction. We have been doing a lot of work in the senate education committee to make sure that we do the right investments with the educational funding formula, with investments, in the early educators investment, and making sure that we start early on, and we do have that cohesive pathway, not only from 0-3, K-12, but also post-secondary education. It has to be a holistic plan that works for all.
Donnis: I’m talking here with Rhode Island State Senator Sandra Cano, a candidate in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District. And we see how in Washington Republicans control the U.S. House, the Senate is very closely divided. If you were to become the next member of Congress, how would, given that political reality, what steps would, how would you move forward your issue of trying to reduce gun violence?
Cano: So I believe that it, throughout the time it is important to have people that really are passionate for the right reasons, and that have the lived experience of many people affected by gun violence. Now, a lot of people know that, coming from Colombia here on their political asylum, the reason why my family was, you know, able to come to this country was because the United States gave us a safe home to be after my dad was kidnapped in Colombia. So having knowing the effects of gun violence in my country, and knowing the suffering behind that makes a person like me very positioned to just have the voice of all of the people, and make sure that we advocate for ban assault guns, and to make sure that we continue doing the progress that in Rhode Island we’ve been doing at the national level. You need to have someone that has already been standing for this right issue that understands the suffering behind that, and that will have that strong voice in Congress.
Donnis: Advocates have been trying for many years to get the legislature to clamp down on payday lending. They say that this is a predatory practice that really preys on low-income people, many of them people of color. Do you agree with that critique?
Cano: In fact, it is. Throughout my career, I would say, I mentioned to you I worked for a credit union for 11 years. My job at the credit union was to make sure that we closed the gap between the communities of colors and the access to capital and services in the financial industry. And one of the things that I was proud to do when I was a member of the credit union was create alternatives for predatory lending. Because in front of me, I would have families that would tell me the cycle of their getting into this predatory lending and not being able to get out of that. It would just make them, like make them like really suffering financially. So we need to do everything possible in the state of Rhode Island to pass a law to prevent that all of these predatory practices are allowed in our states. There is people that charge up to 360% in loans. That is unbelievable.
Donnis: You’re an influential person in the State Senate, you chair a committee. Why have you and people who agree with you on this issue have been unable to convince President Ruggerio to bring this payday lending bill to a floor vote?
Cano: I think that it’s not only about the president, but I think it’s a coalition of people that have been a very strong voice, making sure that it comes into the floor. I will continue to do this, and I will do it just because it’s the right thing to do, right? We need to make sure that we come on agreements. And I do believe that it is a coalition, advocates, and every regular Rhode Islander’s account to see how to tell the story that makes a difference. And we’ve been able to gather that coalition. And we’ve been able to have a strong advocate. I always been a co-sponsor of the bill. I’ve been able to talk to leadership about this bill, and I will continue to do so. I think it’s time for us to reform predatory lending right now.
Donnis: Your day job is as director of commerce for the city of Pawtucket. I believe you’re on leave from that while you run for Congress. I’d like to ask about the proposal for the soccer stadium there. A consultant found that this project would not generate enough money to pay for itself. Why is it worth supporting, then?
Cano: So let’s talk about the effects of the inflation Ian, right? So I think, and I believe, that this project is going to bring a lot of economic development to the region and to the city of Pawtucket. The city of Pawtucket has been a city that really are able to celebrate the different cultures in the community. And the majority of the residents of Pawtucket and Rhode Island support this stadium. In fact, they want economic development in the region and in the city. So I think that, at this time, we need to make sure that we put in front what is happening economically, and then just look at the project and the benefits that would have for our state. I talk every day with Rhode Islanders and residents in my own district. And I’ve been elected after I’ve been very strongly supporting Tidewater and the economic development that it would bring, the jobs that it would bring. And not only that, but soccer, it is a sport that our community celebrates and wants. The World Cup is coming to United States in 2026. Isn’t that an opportunity for us to have Rhode Island be in the front running, bringing visitors to Rhode Island, and then just maximizing the economy, and making sure that we attract people because we do have a stadium that is going to make a difference for our community?
Donnis: Toughest question for last What is your favorite restaurant in the 1st Congressional District?
Cano: That is a good question. I think that people need to go to Central Falls and then go to La Casona Restaurant. It’s a Colombian restaurant that – many people knows I am from Colombia, and I think that you guys should try because it’s amazing cuisine, it’s very authentic. And it brings me back to my roots, as well. So I’m very proud to be a Colombian American that have come here, and I see families that are really contributing to the cuisine of the state. And then so that is La Casona Restaurant.
Donnis: Muy rico.
Cano: Demasiado.
Donnis: That’s all the time we have, so we’ve got to leave it there. Thank you for joining me, State Senator Sondra Cano of Pawtucket, one of the many Democrats running in the 1st Congressional District.
Cano: Thank you, Ian, for having me.
Donnis: A Republican bill aims to double the amount that Rhode Islanders can donate in political contributions per candidate in a given year. Supporters say the $1,000 ceiling is outdated and hasn’t kept up with inflation. But opponents say doubling the maximum annual per-candidate contribution to $2,000 would increase the influence of money in politics. The campaign finance bill cleared a house committee this week, and it appears poised for a lively floor debate in the near future. You can read more about that in my Friday TGIF column, posting around four this afternoon on my Twitter @IanDon and on our website at thepublicsradio.org. That’s our show for this week. Special thanks for production help to Mareva Lindo, celebrating her first year with The Public’s Radio, and Alex Nunes. I’m Ian Donnis, and I’ll see you on the radio.
