Aaron Regunberg Was Almost Governor - Just 2,466 Votes Short
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Aaron Regunberg, arguably the leading progressive in Rhode Island politics, lost the Democratic primary for Lt. Governor by 2,466 votes in 2018.
He lost to Dan McKee and in the next few weeks, McKee will be sworn in as Governor succeeding Gina Raimondo, who is poised to serve as President-Elect Joe Biden's Secretary of Commerce.
The 2018 Lt. Governor's race drew national attention — CNN called it one of the top 9 Democratic primaries to watch nationally.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAbout the race, CNN wrote:
The 27-year-old Regunberg supported Sanders in 2016 and will have the Working Families Party, one of the progressive organizations that helped lead the successful statewide charge to expand sick leave in the state, boosting his bid. (Regunberg sponsored the House version of the leave bill.)
Gov. Gina Raimondo, a moderate Democrat, is expected to win her 2018 re-election bid, so victory for Regunberg, viewed for now as a narrow underdog, would create an interesting dynamic in Providence -- and a chance to see if the party's two poles can get along and run a state government.
It is 70 years since a Lt. Governor rose to serve as Governor through accession. In 1950, Governor John O. Pastore was named to the United States Senate replacing Howard McGrath who had been named U.S. Solicitor General under President Harry Truman.
Lt. Gov. John S. McKiernan assumed the governorship for just a few weeks. Dennis Roberts had been elected governor in the November of 1950 and was sworn in in early December of 1951.
Regunberg in 2022
Regunberg, who is now 30-year-old, has already announced he is running for Lt. Governor again.
In December, Regunberg issues a statement announcing his effort to capture the office.
“Two years ago, we launched a campaign to transform the under-utilized role of the Lieutenant Governor into a public advocate. The margin in that race showed that Rhode Islanders are ready for change -- change we need now more than ever. That’s why we’re beginning the work, today, to explore another run for Lieutenant Governor in 2022," said Regunberg. " Because I still believe that we can turn that office into something our state actually needs -- a tool to help our communities hold state government accountable, and a home for issues that matter to all of us: workers’ rights, climate justice, healthcare, and government reform. We almost got there two years ago, with thousands of volunteers and grassroots donors all across our state. And I know that this time around, together, we can get the job done.”
Regunberg, who has been vehemently progressive, has been continually issuing statements on national and local politics since his defeat in 2018, and is ramping up his efforts further now that he is officially campaigning.
Regunberg was active in opposing the Mayoral Academy charter schools, Teach for America and opposed standardized testing.
Regunberg was a near-constant critic of Raimondo, writing in a column in GoLocal, “Unfortunately for this line of argument, Gina Raimondo has been fundamentally dishonest in her characterization of this pension-or-social-spending choice we face.
Regunberg is a Brown University grad and who has lived in part off a family trust fund, according to his ethics filings, while running for Lt. Governor.
He worked for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza as today, he is attending Harvard Law School.
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