Last year, Rhode Island appeared poised to lose its second congressional district due to reapportionment, and Democrats were girding for a primary melee between Reps. David Cicilline and Jim Langevin for the remaining at-large seat.
But thanks to stronger-than-expected census numbers the Ocean State retained both of its seats, leading to sighs of relief as both members looked set to return to Congress without a primary fight.
However, despite having a clear path to re-election, Langevin made the surprise decision to retire from Congress after 11 terms, creating an open seat in a state where such opportunities are rare.
Rhode Island has held competitive congressional elections in the past, but the state has become more solidly Democratic on the federal level over time. So despite Langevin’s retirement, Democrats begin in a strong position to retain their 2-0 advantage in the state’s delegation. But if the national environment gets worse for Democrats, Langevin’s retirement could open up an opportunity for Republicans.
1st District
The 1st was slightly overpopulated, so it had to shed a few thousands residents to the 2nd district. But other than losing a handful of precincts in the Wanskuck neighborhood and in downtown Providence, the borders of the 1st were entirely unchanged.
Traditionally the more liberal of Rhode Island’s districts, the 1st would have voted for Joe Biden by 29 points, 64-35 percent, in 2020. Cicilline has been in office for a decade but is more prominent on the national stage than ever before, between his turn as an impeachment manager in the second trial of President Donald Trump, and his key role as a subcommittee chairman in working on a bipartisan antitrust bill targeting Big Tech. 2020 GOP Senate...