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Both Rhode Island seats to the United States House of Representatives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Rhode Island |
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The 2010 congressional elections in Rhode Island were held on November 2, 2010, and determined who would represent Rhode Island in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; the elected served in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013.
Rhode Island has two seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Its 2009-2010 congressional delegation consisted of two Democrats, and following the election, it stayed with two Democrats.
Overview
[edit]| United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island, 2010[1] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– | |
| Democratic | 185,711 | 55.36% | 2 | — | |
| Republican | 126,951 | 37.84% | 0 | — | |
| Independents | 22,822 | 6.80% | 0 | — | |
| Totals | 335,484 | 100.00% | 2 | — | |
By district
[edit]Results of the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island by district:[2]
| District | Democratic | Republican | Others | Total | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| District 1 | 81,269 | 50.53% | 71,542 | 44.49% | 8,003 | 4.98% | 160,814 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| District 2 | 104,442 | 59.79% | 55,409 | 31.72% | 14,819 | 8.48% | 174,670 | 100.0% | Democratic hold |
| Total | 185,711 | 55.36% | 126,951 | 37.84% | 22,822 | 6.80% | 335,484 | 100.0% | |
District 1
[edit]
Campaign
[edit]Incumbent Democratic Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy decided not to run for a ninth term in Congress in this solidly liberal[3] district based in northern and eastern Rhode Island, creating an open seat.
David Cicilline, the Mayor of Providence, defeated Anthony Gemma, State Representative David Segal, and former Rhode Island Democratic Party Chairman Bill Lynch in the Democratic primary, while State Representative John Loughlin emerged as the Republican nominee. An aggressive campaign ensued, with Cicilline attacking Loughlin for wanting to privatize Social Security, a claim that Loughlin dismissed as one that "couldn't be further from the truth." Loughlin blasted Cicilline for creating "a $70 million deficit for the next mayor to deal with," which Cicilline attributed to budget cuts made by the Rhode Island General Assembly.[4]
The Providence Journal, praising Cicilline for being "an honest, energetic, and often innovative mayor," and criticizing Loughlin for "reacting...favorably to the collection of fiscal contradictions known as the House Republicans' 'Pledge to America,'" endorsed Cicilline, calling him a "highly competent public servant."[5]
In the end, a surprisingly close race emerged in what should have been an easy win for Cicilline, or any Democratic candidate. Though Cicilline won in the end and was sent to Washington for his first term, it was only by a six-point, 10,000 vote margin of victory.
Polling
[edit]| Poll Source | Dates Administered | Democratic nominee | Republican nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Cicilline | John Loughlin | ||
| WJAR Channel 10[6] | October 4–6, 2010 | 47% | 36% |
| WPRI-TV[7] | October 1–3, 2010 | 48% | 29% |
| Brown University[8] | September 27–29, 2010 | 39% | 30% |
| Quest Research[9] | September 15–17, 2010 | 49% | 26% |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Cicilline | 81,269 | 50.54 | |
| Republican | John Loughlin | 71,542 | 44.49 | |
| Independent | Kenneth A. Capalbo | 6,424 | 3.99 | |
| Independent | Gregory Raposa | 1,334 | 0.83 | |
| Write-ins | 245 | 0.15 | ||
| Total votes | 160,814 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
District 2
[edit]
Campaign
[edit]Democratic Congressman James Langevin has represented this liberal[3] district based in southern and western Rhode Island since he was first elected in 2000. Langevin has maintained considerable popularity in this largely supportive constituency, and did not face a real threat to his re-election from his 2008 opponent, Republican Mark Zaccaria. In the general election, Langevin was re-elected by an overwhelming margin, defeating Zaccaria and independent candidate John Matson, who garnered an impressive eight percent of the vote.
Polling
[edit]| Poll Source | Dates Administered | Democratic nominee | Republican nominee | Independent candidate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Langevin | Mark Zaccaria | John Matson | ||
| WJAR Channel 10[6] | October 4–6, 2010 | 65% | 26% | 3% |
| WPRI-TV[7] | October 1–3, 2010 | 54% | 24% | — |
| Brown University[8] | September 27–29, 2010 | 47% | 14% | |
| Quest Research[9] | September 15–17, 2010 | 54% | 20% |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Langevin (inc.) | 104,442 | 59.79 | |
| Republican | Mark S. Zaccaria | 55,409 | 31.72 | |
| Independent | John O. Matson | 14,584 | 8.35 | |
| Write-ins | 235 | 0.13 | ||
| Total votes | 174,670 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010" (PDF). p. 43.
- ^ Haas, Karen L. (June 3, 2011). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010". Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ a b "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 111th Congress." The Cook Political Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2011. <http://www.cookpolitical.com/sites/default/files/pvistate.pdf Archived 2011-07-15 at the Wayback Machine>.
- ^ Daly, Sean (October 20, 2010). "CD1 race continues to heat up". East Providence, R.I.: WPRI. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012.
- ^ "providencejournal.com: Local & World News, Sports & Entertainment in Providence, RI". providencejournal.com. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ a b WJAR Channel 10
- ^ a b WPRI-TV Archived October 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Brown University
- ^ a b Quest Research
External links
[edit]- Rhode Island Board of Elections
- U.S. Congress candidates for Rhode Island at Project Vote Smart
- Rhode Island U.S. House from OurCampaigns.com
- Campaign contributions for Rhode Island congressional races from OpenSecrets
- 2010 Rhode Island General Election graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- House - Rhode Island from the Cook Political Report
| Preceded by 2008 elections |
United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island 2010 |
Succeeded by 2012 elections |