In the marquee race of Rhode Island’s 2024 primary, Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins scored a commanding victory over GOP rival state Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, as voters rejected her argument that the city needed change.
Unofficial results showed Hopkins winning 58.5% of the vote, compared with 41.5% for Fenton-Fung.
Fenton-Fung is married to longtime former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, who remains popular locally, and she scored a big win by beating state Rep. Nicholas Mattiello, the House speaker at the time, in 2020. She is married to longtime former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, who remains popular locally.
But Cranston voters made their preference clear for Hopkins, who first won election in 2020 with help from the Fungs. Relations later went south between them.
The crowd was hushed at St. Mary’s Feast Society on Phenix Avenue at Hopkins election night party as the results started coming in. But with just two wards left to report, someone with the Hopkins campaign yelled, “She cannot make it back from that! Kenny is going to November!” and the room burst into applause.
Hopkins walked to the podium to the song “Hit Me with your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar, and his family stood behind him. Hopkins spent much of his speech panning what he called attacks by Fenton-Fung on him in recent months.
“When you attack one member of our family, you attack a nation,” he said. “And unfortunately for you, it didn’t work. It did not work because my family is here. They are behind me 1,000 percent.”
Fenton-Fung accused Hopkins of playing a role in the hiring of his relatives to city positions. His daughter works for the Cranston Public Schools and his son-in-law was recently hired — and promoted — in the fire department, though he was cleared by the state Ethics Commission of any improprieties earlier this summer.
Hopkins said come the general election in November, he will work to “ensure that Cranston remains the leading Republican city of the state of Rhode Island,” and he said Democrat Robert Ferri has a “progressive, liberal agenda that Cranston does not want.” When asked to elaborate on what that meant, his campaign manager Bob Murray stepped in and said the focus is on celebrating, with more details coming in the days ahead.
Sour feelings lingered on both sides.
After she conceded at Asia Grille at Garden City, Fenton-Fung congratulated Hopkins, but said she was not ready to endorse him. Referring to a lawsuit alleging he has used a vintage sports car without paying for it, she said, “I have real concerns what’s happened with the car and that entire — what I would call — that fiasco.”
Looking ahead, she said she was unclear on her future plans, adding that she was sure she will run for office again at some point in the future.
Fenton-Fung said she thought her campaign was hurt by a mailer sent by her opponent that charged she supported free tuition for illegal immigrants. She said the mailer was inaccurate and misleading, although she said it also stuck in people’s minds.
“I think when we’re just thinking Monday morning quarterbacking, perhaps I should have done even more to push back on that,” she told reporters.
In other races, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat first elected in 2006, cruised past rival Democrat Michael Costa with 83.9% of the vote, with 331 of 345 polling places reporting.
State Rep. Patricia Morgan (R-West Warwick) bested conservative activist Ray McKay for the chance to take on Whitehouse in November. With returns from most polling places in, she led with 64.5% of the vote.
Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien scored 73.2% of the vote over primary rival Camron Segalla.
In Woonsocket’s nonpartisan primary for mayor, John Ward and Christopher Beauchamp were the top two finishers, meaning they will square off in November.
Voters decided 18 Democratic primaries for the General Assembly:
Senate District 4 – With 100% of the vote in, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D-North Providence) got 70.2% of the vote against progressive rival Lenny Cioe.
Senate District 14 — Senate Whip Valarie Lawson (D-East Providence), challenged by former state Rep. Brian Coogan, won with 75.3% of the vote.
Senate District 17 — Democrat Cameron Deutsch edged Alexander E. Azar, 52.8%-47.2% for the seat held by Sen. Thomas Paolino (R-Lincoln).
Senate District 20 – Brian J. Thompson, with 65.3% of the vote, commanded the lead over Denis Joseph Collins, Marian Juskuv for the seat being vacated by longtime Sen. Roger Picard (D-Woonsocket).
Senate District 25 – For the vacancy created by the death this year of Sen. Frank Lombardo (D-Johnston), Andrew R. Dimitri came out on top with 57% of the vote, compared with 29.7% for Richard J. Delfino III and 13.2% for Pamela Leary.
Senate District 28 – In the five-way Democratic race for the Providence/Cranston seat being vacated by longtime Sen. Josh Miller, City Council VP Lammis Vargas won with 35.8% of the vote, followed by Darrèll A. Brown of the Conservation Law Foundation’s RI office with 31.8%, and Melissa Carden with 20%.
Senate District 29 — Peter A. Appollonio Jr. got 60.9% of the vote over Jennifer Rourke for the seat now held by Sen. Anthony P. DeLuca II (R-Warwick), who won election in 2022 with Democratic support.
Senate District 37 — Anita Norton Jabobson fell far short in a challenge to Sen. Sue Sosnowski (D-South Kingstown).
House District 9 – Incumbent Rep. Enrique Sanchez (D-Providence), one of the most left members of the legislature, prevailed with 52.5% of the vote over his predecessor, Anastacia (formerly Anastasia) Williams, and Javier Santos.
House District 11 – Rep. Grace Diaz (D-Providence), who first won election in 2004, fueled by a story about coming to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic with $40, two dresses and no understanding of English, easily repulsed a challenge from Tania M. Quezada, attracting 61.5% of the vote.
House District 14 – Rep. Charlene Lima (D-Cranston), one of the longest-serving members of the House, beat progressive challenger Giona Picheco, with 56.7% of the vote.
House District 16 – Rep. Brandon Potter (D-Cranston), who was bounced from the RI Political Cooperative for supporting Joe Shekarchi during a 2020 caucus, vanquished a challenge from Joseph R. Graziano, seemingly because of Senate leadership’s pique about Potter’s commentary on an e-gambling bill. Potter got 76.3% of the vote.
House District 37 – Rep. Samuel Azzinaro (D-Westerly) held on in the face a progressive challenge from Jonathan Daly-LaBelle, with 64.7% of the vote.
House District 42 – All in the Family, RI-style. In a rematch, Kelsey Coletta, the daughter of House Floor Manager Jay Edwards (D-Tiverton), came out on top with 42.5% of the vote, followed by Rep. Edward T. Cardillo Jr. with 40%, and his nephew, Dennis D. Cardillo Jr. with 17.5%.
House District 51 – The musical chairs primary. Rep. Robert Phillips (D-Woonsocket) announced for mayor and then reversed course when it appeared that staying in the House was a better choice. Garrett S. Mancieri, a councilor in Woonsocket, had announced for the House seat by then and declined to back out. Phillips held on to win with 53.3% of the vote.
House District 57 — Freshman Rep. Brandon Voas (D-Cumberland) repulsed a challenge from Phoenix Witt, winning 71.3% of the vote.
House District 58 – Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien is pushing hard for Elizabeth Moreira, who is challenging Rep. Cherie Cruz (D-Pawtucket), a well-liked progressive. In a setback for Grebien’s machine, Cruz won with 60.9% of the vote.
House District 64 – Jenni Azanero Furtado and Ashley L. Pereira compete for the seat being vacated by Rep. Brianna Henries (D-East Providence). Furtado won with 70.7% of the tally.
