United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island, 2010

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

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

District 1

Campaign

Incumbent Democratic Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy decided not to run for a ninth term in Congress in this solidly liberal[2] 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.[3]

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.”[4]

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

Poll Source Dates Administered Democratic nominee Republican nominee
David Cicilline John Loughlin
WJAR Channel 10 October 4-6, 2010 47% 36%
WPRI-TV October 1-3, 2010 48% 29%
Brown University September 27-29, 2010 39% 30%
Quest Research September 15-17, 2010 49% 26%

Results

Rhode Island's 1st congressional district election, 2010[1]
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

Campaign

Democratic Congressman James Langevin has represented this liberal[2] 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

Poll Source Dates Administered Democratic nominee Republican nominee Independent candidate
Jim Langevin Mark Zaccaria John Matson
WJAR Channel 10 October 4-6, 2010 65% 26% 3%
WPRI-TV October 1-3, 2010 54% 24%
Brown University September 27-29, 2010 47% 14%
Quest Research September 15-17, 2010 54% 20%

Results

Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district election, 2010[1]
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

External links


Preceded by
2008 elections
United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island
2010
Succeeded by
2012 elections
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