State Rep. David Morales is projected by the Associated Press to defeat Providence Mayor Brett Smiley in Wednesday’s Democratic primary.
Morales, a young state representative who identifies as a Democratic socialist, frequently framed the race as a simple choice about housing: Smiley vetoed Providence’s first-ever rent stabilization ordinance, arguing it would slow much-needed construction of new housing, and Morales vowed to pass it.
Endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Providence mayor Jorge Elorza, the 27-year-old Morales sought to cast the incumbent Smiley as an ineffective representative of the political establishment.
On the campaign trail, Smiley said he helped create thousands of new homes in Providence, while improving public safety and driving recorded incidents of violent crime to historic lows.
Smiley also led the city in the aftermath of a mass shooting at Brown University, offering daily updates on the public mourning process and the search for the shooter to an international audience.
But the incumbent faced scrutiny for implementing the city’s largest property tax increase in a decade, and managing what many perceived to be a slow cleanup after an historic snowfall last winter. He also faced frequent protests from opponents of Israel’s war in Gaza over his continued support for Israel despite the high civilian death toll.
In the heavily Democratic city, the winner of Wednesday’s primary is the overwhelming favorite to win the general election.
This is a developing story and will be updated. Ocean State Media’s Ben Berke and David Wright contributed to this story.
