Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump face little competition in Rhode Island’s presidential primary on Tuesday, although pro-Palestinian activists hope to send a message with their vote.
Four Democratic and six Republican presidential candidates are on the ballot, but many of them have dropped out of the race, including Democrat Dean Phillips and Republicans Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the exception of New Shoreham, which starts at noon. Polling places can be found on the website of Secretary of State Gregg Amore.
Voters will also select delegates to participate in their respective party’s nominating conventions.
A coalition critical of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, organized by the Rhode Island chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, is urging voters to pick “uncommitted” as a way of signaling disapproval of the Biden administration’s support of Israel.
With four electoral votes, Rhode Island is not much of a player in presidential politics.
The lack of competition at the top of the ticket, however, stands in contrast to 2008, when the Democratic primary between establishment favorite Hillary Clinton and insurgent Barack Obama gave the election a bit of the feeling of the New Hampshire primary. Clinton won, even though Obama went on to win the nomination and the presidency.
By 2016, a strong level of past support for the Clintons in Rhode Island had faded to the point where U.S. senator Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton here, even though she went on to win the Democratic nomination.
