2018 Rhode Island gubernatorial election

See also: 2018 United States gubernatorial elections

The 2018 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor of Rhode Island, concurrently with the election of Rhode Island's Class I U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.

2018 Rhode Island gubernatorial election

← 2014 November 6, 2018 2022 →

Nominee Gina Raimondo Allan Fung Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 198,122 139,932 Percentage 52.64% 37.18%

County results Municipality results Congressional district results Precinct results Raimondo:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Fung:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election Gina Raimondo Democratic Elected Governor Gina Raimondo Democratic

On September 12, 2018, incumbent governor Gina Raimondo and Cranston mayor and 2014 gubernatorial nominee Allan Fung won the Democratic and Republican primaries respectively, facing each other in a rematch of the 2014 election. Raimondo defeated Fung in the general election on November 6 to win a second term as governor, improving on her plurality win in 2014 to earn a majority of the votes, and becoming the first gubernatorial candidate (incumbent or challenger) to win a majority of votes since Donald Carcieri in 2006. It was also the first time that a Democrat was re-elected as Governor of Rhode Island since Bruce Sundlun won a second term in 1992, and the first time ever they did so for four-year terms.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominated

• Gina Raimondo, incumbent governor^[1][2][3]

Eliminated in primary

• Matt Brown, former Secretary of State of Rhode Island and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006^[4]
• Spencer Dickinson, former state representative^[5]

Withdrawn

• Paul Roselli, president of the Burrillville Land Trust (running for State Senate Dist. 23) (endorsed Matt Brown) ^[6]

Declined

• Lincoln Chafee, former governor and candidate for president of the United States in 2016^[7]
• James Langevin, U.S. representative^[8]
• Daniel McKee, lieutenant governor (running for reelection)^[9]
• Angel Taveras, former mayor of Providence and candidate for governor in 2014^[10]

Endorsements

Matt Brown

Statewide politicians

• Lincoln Chafee, former US senator and former governor^[11]

Local officials

• Jeanine Calkin, state senator
• Lauren Niedel, Rhode Island Democratic Party State Committeewoman

Individuals

• Capri Catanzaro, political director of Rhode Island Progressive Democrats
• Andrea James-Gomez, Youth & Programs director of Rhode Island for Community & Justice
• Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America
• Barbara Roberts, director, Women's Cardiac Center, the Miriam Hospital
• Paul Roselli, president of Burrillville Land Trust, candidate for state senate, withdrawn Democratic candidate for governor ^[6]
• Gloria Steinem, feminist, journalist, and social political activist

Organizations

• Climate Action RI^[12]
• IndivisibleRI
• Justice Democrats^[13]
• Our Revolution RI^[14]
• RI Progressive Democrats

Results

Results by county"

Map legend

•   Raimondo—40–50%
•   Raimondo—50–60%
•   Raimondo—60–70%

Results by municipality:

Raimondo

•   Raimondo—40–50%
•   Raimondo—50–60%
•   Raimondo—60–70%
•   Raimondo—70–80%

Brown

•   Brown—40–50%
•   Brown—60–70%

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gina Raimondo (incumbent)	66,978	57.1
	Democratic	Matt Brown	39,300	33.5
	Democratic	Spencer Dickinson	10,926	9.3
Total votes			117,204	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

• Allan Fung, mayor of Cranston and nominee for governor in 2014^[15]

Eliminated in primary

• Giovanni Feroce, businessman, former state senator and nominee for lieutenant governor in 1994^[16]
• Patricia Morgan, minority leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives^[17]

Declined

• Robert Flanders, former associate justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court (running for U.S. Senate)^[18]
• Robert Nardolillo, state representative (running for U.S. Senate)^[19][10][20]
• Joe Trillo, former state representative (running as an independent)^[10][21]
• John Hazen White, businessman^[10]

Endorsements

Allan Fung

Federal officials

• Sean Spicer, former White House press secretary^[22]

State officials

• Lincoln Almond, former governor^[23]
• Michael Chippendale, state representative^[24]
• Frank Maher, former state senator^[24]
• Brian Newberry, state representative^[24]
• Thomas Paolino, state senator^[24]
• Mike Pinga, former state senator^[24]

Local officials

• Trent Colford, Cranston city councilman^[24]
• Michael Farina, president of the Cranston City Council^[24]
• Michael Favicchio, vice president of the Cranston City Council^[24]
• Liana Ferreira-Fenton, Middletown school committeewoman^[24]
• Rolland Grant, former mayor of East Providence^[24]
• Scott Hirst, town moderator of Hopkinton^[25]
• Kenneth Hopkins, Cranston city councilman^[24]
• Michael Isaacs, former president of the East Greenwich Town Council^[24]
• Frank Landolfi, president of the Hopkinton Town Council^[24]
• Kevin McGovern, president of the Exeter Town Council^[24]
• Matthew Mannix, president pro tem of the Narragansett Town Council^[24]
• Christopher Paplauskas, Cranston city councilman^[24]
• Glen Shibley, president of the Coventry Town Council^[24]

Party leadership

• Mark Smiley, former chair of the Rhode Island Republican Party^[24]
• Mark Zaccaria, former chair of the Rhode Island Republican Party^[24]

Organizations

• Cranston Republican City Committee^[26]
• Cumberland Republican Town Committee^[27]
• International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 301^[28]
• Lincoln Republican Town Committee^[29]
• Middletown Republican Town Committee^[30]
• North Kingstown Republican Town Committee^[31]
• South Kingstown Republican Town Committee^[32]
• Warwick Republican City Committee^[33]
• Woonsocket Republican City Committee^[34]

Newspapers

• Cranston Herald^[35]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Allan Fung	Patricia Morgan	Other	Undecided
National Research Inc. (R-Morgan)[36]	July 23–24, 2018	400	–	44%	33%	–	18%
Public Opinion Strategies (R-Fung)[37]	July 11–14, 2018	400	± 4.9%	62%	22%	4%[38]	10%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Allan Fung	Patricia Morgan	Joe Trillo	Undecided
TargetPoint (R-Fung)[39]	November 4–6, 2017	433	± 4.0%	45%	24%	10%	20%

Hypothetical polling

Results

Results by county:

Fung

•   Fung—40–50%
•   Fung—50–60%
•   Fung—60–70%

Morgan

•   Morgan—50–60%

Results by municipality:

Fung

•   Fung—40–50%
•   Fung—50–60%
•   Fung—60–70%
•   Fung—80–90%

Morgan

•   Morgan—40–50%
•   Morgan—50–60%
•   Morgan—60–70%

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Allan Fung	18,577	56.4
	Republican	Patricia Morgan	13,208	40.1
	Republican	Giovanni Feroce	1,147	3.5
Total votes			32,932	100.0

Moderate primary

Candidates

Declared

• Bill Gilbert, chairman of the Moderate Party of Rhode Island and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2014^[40]

Independents

Declared

• Luis Daniel Muñoz, physician and community organizer^[41]
• Joe Trillo, former Republican state representative^[21]

Failed to qualify

• Rebecca McLaughlin^[42]

Declined

• Matt Brown, former Secretary of State of Rhode Island (running as a Democrat)^[4]

Minor third parties

Declared

• Anne Armstrong (Compassion Party), cannabis activist^[43]

General election

Debates

• Complete video of debate, September 27, 2018
• Complete video of debate, October 15, 2018

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[44]	Lean D	October 26, 2018
The Washington Post[45]	Lean D	November 5, 2018
FiveThirtyEight[46]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Rothenberg Political Report[47]	Lean D	November 1, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[48]	Likely D	November 5, 2018
RealClearPolitics[49]	Likely D	November 4, 2018
Daily Kos[50]	Lean D	November 5, 2018
Fox News[51][a]	Likely D	November 5, 2018
Politico[52]	Lean D	November 5, 2018
Governing[53]	Lean D	November 5, 2018

Notes

1. The Fox News Midterm Power Rankings uniquely does not contain a category for Safe/Solid races

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Gina Raimondo (D)	Allan Fung (R)	Joe Trillo (I)	Other	Undecided
Fleming & Associates[54]	October 20–24, 2018	416	± 4.8%	45%	34%	9%	4%[55]	8%
SocialSphere[56]	October 5–9, 2018	502	–	40%	32%	17%	–	11%
University of New Hampshire[57]	September 27 – October 6, 2018	503	± 4.4%	48%	34%	5%	3%[58]	11%
Fleming & Associates[59]	September 14–17, 2018	420	± 4.8%	43%	36%	7%	4%[60]	9%
Fleming & Associates[61]	July 28–31, 2018	407	± 4.8%	39%	37%	6%	3%[62]	14%
SocialSphere[63]	May 30 – June 4, 2018	501	–	33%	33%	16%	–	18%
Fleming & Associates[64]	February 25–28, 2018	419	± 4.8%	38%	36%	6%	–	17%
TargetPoint (R-Fung)[39]	November 4–6, 2017	600	± 4.0%	41%	46%	–	–	–

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Gina Raimondo (D)	Patricia Morgan (R)	Joe Trillo (I)	Other	Undecided
Fleming & Associates[61]	July 28–31, 2018	407	± 4.8%	42%	24%	8%	5%[65]	22%
SocialSphere[66]	May 30 – June 4, 2018	501	–	39%	20%	19%	–	22%
Fleming & Associates[64]	February 25–28, 2018	419	± 4.8%	43%	25%	9%	–	20%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Gina Raimondo (D)	Giovanni Feroce (R)	Joe Trillo (I)	Other	Undecided
Fleming & Associates[61]	July 28–31, 2018	407	± 4.8%	44%	9%	12%	6%[67]	30%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Matt Brown (D)	Allan Fung (R)	Joe Trillo (I)	Other	Undecided
Fleming & Associates[61]	July 28–31, 2018	407	± 4.8%	21%	36%	7%	6%[68]	30%
SocialSphere[63]	May 30 – June 4, 2018	501	–	25%	35%	14%	–	27%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Matt Brown (D)	Patricia Morgan (R)	Joe Trillo (I)	Other	Undecided
Fleming & Associates[61]	July 28–31, 2018	407	± 4.8%	25%	21%	9%	8%[69]	36%
SocialSphere[63]	May 30 – June 4, 2018	501	–	30%	20%	18%	–	33%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Matt Brown (D)	Giovanni Feroce (R)	Joe Trillo (I)	Other	Undecided
Fleming & Associates[61]	July 28–31, 2018	407	± 4.8%	27%	8%	11%	10%[70]	43%

Hypothetical polling

with Gina Raimondo and Patricia Morgan

with Gina Raimondo and Giovanni Feroce

with Matt Brown and Allan Fung

with Matt Brown and Patricia Morgan

with Matt Brown and Giovanni Feroce

Results

Support for Joe Trillo by county

Map legend

•   ≥5%
•   4–5%
•   <4%

Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2018^[71]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Gina Raimondo (incumbent)	198,122	52.64%	+11.94%
	Republican	Allan Fung	139,932	37.18%	+0.94%
	Independent	Joe Trillo	16,532	4.39%	N/A
	Moderate	Bill Gilbert	10,155	2.70%	−18.68%
	Independent	Luis Daniel Muñoz	6,223	1.65%	N/A
	Compassion	Anne Armstrong	4,191	1.11%	N/A
	Write-in		1,246	0.33%	+0.10%
Total votes			376,401	100%	N/A
	Democratic hold

By county

	Gina Raimondo Democratic		Allan Fung Republican		Others
County	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
Bristol	12,316	58.1%	6,772	32.0%	2,091	9.9%
Kent	29,673	44.0%	29,921	44.8%	7,835	11.2%
Newport	20,014	59.6%	10,346	30.8%	3,211	9.6%
Providence	106,688	53.9%	72,247	36.5%	19,189	9.6%
Washington	29,431	52.5%	20,646	36.8%	6,021	10.7%

By congressional district

Raimondo won both congressional districts.^[72]

District	Raimondo	Fung	Representative
1st	59%	31%	David Cicilline
2nd	47%	43%	James Langevin

See also

• Rhode Island elections, 2018