Over 120 statewide and federal candidates declare to run on first day to file for 2024 elections

Pictured on Monday, June 24, 2024, at Central Falls City Hall were back row left to right, Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Jonathan Acosta; Ward 2 City Councilor Robert Ferri; Ward 5 Councilor Rafael Peguero; Ward 3 Councilor Kevin Kazarian; Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Joshua Giraldo; and Alberto Rivas, City Council candidate for Ward 1. Front row left to right are Ingrid Franco, candidate for Ward 4 council seat; City Councilor At-Large Tatiana Baena; Mayor Maria Rivera; and City Councilor At-Large Laurilim Rosado Martinez. (Courtesy of Mayor Maria Rivera's reelection campaign)

Monday marked the official start to the 2024 election season as the state opened up its three-day period for local, state and federal candidates to declare their intention to run for office.

And candidates were quick to declare, as over 120 statewide and federal office seekers filed their papers as of Monday evening. You can see the latest list of candidates who filed declaration forms here .

Freshman U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo announced his intention to run for a full term with hopes of keeping his 1st Congressional District seat just after 5 p.m.

“While it seems like it was just yesterday, it’s been over 200 days since I was sworn into Congress to serve as a voice for Rhode Islanders in Washington,” Amo said in a statement. “Each one of those days has been an honor and privilege.”

Another familiar face is running again in the 1st Congressional District: perennial candidate Allen Waters, who came 10th in last year’s crowded Democratic primary. Waters switched parties and is back to running as a Republican, which he did in 2022 when challenging then-U.S. Rep. David Cicilline.

Waters did not respond to requests for comment. Also filing to run in the GOP primary: Jeffrey Edward Lemire, who previously ran for the 1st Congressional District in 2016 and for Providence mayor in 2018.

2nd Congressional District Rep. Seth Magaziner so far is running unopposed in his Democratic primary. His potential opponent in the general election is Republican Steven Corvi, a Warwick resident whose LinkedIn page says he has a Ph.D. in history, is listed as an adjunct history professor at Bentley University and Northeastern University.

Incumbent Sheldon Whithouse filed Monday for his bid at a fourth term in the U.S. Senate where, so far, he faces no Democratic challenger. Former Warwick City Administrator Raymond T. McKay filed on the GOP side. His likely primary opponent Patricia Morgan, a former state representative endorsed by the Rhode Island Republican National Committee , did not file her declaration paperwork as of Monday.

The bulk of the Monday’s fillings were those running for a seat in the General Assembly, most of whom were unchallenged incumbents, including House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio.

Ruggerio, whose health challenges kept him away late into the 2024 legislative session, announced his bid for re-election June 20.

“I look forward to continuing to talk with voters over the course of the summer and fall about the ways in which we are working to make North Providence and Providence a better place to raise a family and run a business,” Ruggerio said in a statement June 20.

“I look forward to campaigning and asking my neighbors for their vote,” Shekarchi posted on X (formerly Twitter) Monday afternoon.

Political office-seekers have until 4 p.m. Wednesday to declare their candidacy. Candidates for federal offices must file with the Rhode Island Department of State Elections Division while those for state and local offices are required to submit their papers to their local board of canvassers.

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