Rhode Island held its general election on November 5, 2024, deciding 113 legislative seats. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Rhode Island's General Assembly barely moved: House incumbents ran the table, Republicans netted a single seat in a chamber Democrats still hold 64-10 with one independent, and the Senate's lone upset, a Democratic pickup, left it 34-4.
- That upset was the night's closest contest. Peter Appollonio Jr. (D) unseated freshman Sen. Anthony DeLuca (R) in Warwick's Senate District 29, a seat Democrats had held for 20 years under former Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey before DeLuca took it in 2022; his lead narrowed to 44 votes on recount but held. Two other recounts confirmed Republican wins: Marie Hopkins (R), who had lost the same seat by 38 votes two years earlier, took the open House District 21 by 91 votes, and Rep. Chris Paplauskas (R) held House District 15 by 26.
- Republicans' House gains came in two seats previously held by conservative Democrats: Hopkins's House District 21, and House District 42 in Johnston, where Richard Fascia (R) beat Kelsey Coletta (D), the progressive who had ousted Rep. Edward Cardillo in the September primary. Democrats took one back in House District 26, where Earl Read (D) won the seat Rep. Patricia Morgan (R) gave up to run for U.S. Senate, and in the marquee House race Rep. Megan Cotter (D) held House District 39 against former Rep. Justin Price (R) by about eight points.
- For the fourth straight decade, voters rejected a constitutional convention, turning down Question 1 by roughly five to three, a wider margin than in 2014, while approving all four bond questions: $160.5 million for higher education facilities, $120 million for housing, $53 million for environmental and recreation projects, and $10 million in cultural arts grants.
- Across the 113 legislative races, 4 seats changed parties (two each way), 1 incumbent was defeated, and 70 seats drew a single candidate, more than half the General Assembly.
Legislature
- House (75 seats): 66 D, 9 R before the election, 63 D, 10 R, 2 other or vacant after; control stayed with Democrats.
- Senate (38 seats): 33 D, 5 R before the election, 34 D, 4 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Call for a state constitutional convention to be held. This advisory question was placed on the Rhode Island 2024 ballot. Voters rejected it with only 38.0% voting yes. | Failed (38% yes) |
| Question 2 | Issue $160.5 million in bonds for improvements to higher education facilities. This bond measure was placed on the Rhode Island 2024 ballot. Voters approved it with 60.0% voting yes. | Passed (60% yes) |
| Question 3 | Issue $120 million in bonds to increase the availability of housing in the state. This bond measure was placed on the Rhode Island 2024 ballot. Voters approved it with 66.0% voting yes. | Passed (66% yes) |
| Question 4 | Issue $53 million in bonds for environmental-related infrastructure, local recreation projects, and for preservation of land. This bond measure was placed on the Rhode Island 2024 ballot. Voters approved it with 67.0% voting yes. | Passed (67% yes) |
| Question 5 | Issue $10 million in bonds for funding for 1:1 matching grants to continue the Cultural Arts and Economy Grant program administered by the Rhode Island state council on the arts, and for improvements and renovations to the Tomaquag Museum, the Newport Contemporary Ballet, and the Trinity Repertory Company. This bond measure was placed on the Rhode Island 2024 ballot. Voters approved it with 56.0% voting yes. | Passed (56% yes) |