The Scoop: Ahern Scores More Endorsements, Bahry Announces for U.S. Senate, Torres Running for Prov. City Council

The Scoop: Ahern Scores More Endorsements, Bahry Announces for U.S. Senate, Torres Running for Prov. City Council

With just over three months until the primaries, Rhode Island politics continues to heat up.

 

Ahern Scores More Endorsements

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EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource dedicated to electing Democratic pro-choice women to office, endorsed Kim Ahern for Rhode Island Attorney General.

“At a time when our fundamental freedoms are under attack, Rhode Island needs an attorney general like Kim Ahern,” said Emily Parés, Deputy Chief Campaigns Officer of State and Local Campaigns at EMILYs List. “Kim has spent her career standing up for the safety and rights of all Rhode Islanders, including championing reproductive freedoms. EMILYs List is proud to endorse Kim Ahern to be the next attorney general of Rhode Island.”

“I’m honored to have the endorsement of EMILYs List, and I look forward to making history as the first Democratic woman to serve as Rhode Island’s Attorney General,” said Kim Ahern. “Our campaign is about protecting Rhode Islanders’ safety and defending our fundamental rights, including the right to control our own bodies. As the only pro-choice woman in this race, I’m ready to stand up and fight on behalf of all Rhode Islanders.”

Ahern also has an upcoming fundraiser with Gina Raimondo.

Ahern’s campaign for Attorney General endorsements includes:

• Former Rhode Island Attorney General Jeff Pine
• Rhode Island State Representative Edith Ajello
• Woonsocket Mayor Christopher Beauchamp
• Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena, Jr.
• Johnston Democratic Town Committee
• Former Governor and DNC Chair Howard Dean
• United Nurses and Allied Professionals (UNAP)
• Vote Mama PAC
• Victory Fund
• LPAC

 

Ahern has served as Special Assistant Attorney General under Rhode Island’s past three attorneys general. Her campaign cites, “She prosecuted over 1,000 cases and brought justice to hundreds of victims. She also served as legal counsel to the past two governors and as the state’s first Chair of the Cannabis Control Commission. Kim lives in Providence with her wife Jenna and their three daughters.”

 

Bahry Announces for U.S. Senate

Michael Bahry is jumping into the race for the United States Senate.

He is running as an independent.

His campaign says he is “a lifelong Rhode Islander, visiting lecturer at Salve Regina University, theologian, former construction executive, and nonprofit founder. " 

“Now he seeks to bring an independent voice to Washington as ‘Rhode Island’s wildcard’—a swing vote unbound by party lines, focused on bridging divides and delivering practical results for families,” according to his announcement.

“Nearly half of Rhode Island’s registered voters are independent, and Bahry believes many more think independently but feel trapped by the two-party system. He aims to represent that spirit in the Senate,” according to Bahry.

 

According to his bio: 

Bahry began his career as a laborer and carpenter, eventually leading major construction projects worth over a billion dollars while gaining deep union experience. At 23, the year he married, he started college at Providence College, working days and studying nights. He earned his bachelor’s degree cum laude in five years while raising a young family. At 53, while running Bahry Building Company, he returned to Providence College and completed two graduate degrees—with distinction—in Theological Studies and Biblical Studies.
 

 

Torres Announces for City Council in Providence’s Third Ward

Democrat Yulyana Torres has announced her candidacy for Providence City Council in Ward 3.

“Providence made me who I am,” Torres said. “We need leadership in this city that will listen to its most vulnerable residents and implement real change that makes safety, affordability, and stability a reality for every person that lives here.”

As a lifelong Rhode Island resident and attorney, Torres, 30, has seen firsthand the city’s change over the past two decades.

According to her announcement, “Torres works as the first and only Staff Attorney at Sojourner House, Rhode Island’s largest organization dedicated to ending domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking.”

“I see how housing instability, domestic violence, and mental health challenges compound and leave people without support,” Torres said. “I want to be a voice in my community that says, ‘You can turn to me; you can turn to your city.’”