Rhode Island Attorney General election, 2022

Elections in Rhode Island, 2022

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← 2018
Rhode Island Attorney General
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: July 15, 2022
Primary: September 13, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Peter Neronha (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Rhode Island
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Rhode Island executive elections
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Rhode Island held an election for attorney general on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for September 13, 2022. The filing deadline was July 15, 2022. This was one of 30 elections for attorney general taking place in 2022. All 50 states have an attorney general who serves as the state's chief legal officer, responsible for enforcing state law and offering the state government advice on legal matters. In 43 states, the office was, at the time of the 2022 elections, an elected post. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 27 Republican attorneys general and 23 Democratic attorneys general. Click here for an overview of all 30 attorney general elections that took place in 2022. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

In September 2022, Sabato's Crystal Ball released an analysis of state attorney general election competitiveness. Rhode Island's attorney general election was rated as not competitive, meaning the seat was expected to stay in Democratic hands: "[Democratic incumbent] Neronha has had a busy tenure in office, including an investigation into sexual abuse allegations in the Catholic Diocese of Providence, support for state gun control legislation, and efforts to weigh in on hospital mergers and consolidation. Former prosecutor Charles Calenda, the GOP nominee, is not well-known, his fundraising has been modest, and Rhode Island is generally a blue state. Neronha is a heavy favorite to win a new term." Click here to read the analysis.

Incumbent Peter Neronha won election in the general election for Attorney General of Rhode Island.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Rhode Island Attorney General election, 2022 (September 13 Democratic primary)
• Rhode Island Attorney General election, 2022 (September 13 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Attorney General of Rhode Island

Incumbent Peter Neronha defeated Charles Calenda in the general election for Attorney General of Rhode Island on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Peter Neronha (D)	61.5	217,066
		Charles Calenda (R)	38.4	135,471
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	460

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 352,997
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Alan Gordon (Independent)
• Rebecca McLaughlin (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Rhode Island

Incumbent Peter Neronha advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Rhode Island on September 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Peter Neronha	100.0	94,665

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,665
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Rhode Island

Charles Calenda advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Rhode Island on September 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charles Calenda	100.0	18,557

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,557
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Rhode Island

Election information in Rhode Island: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 9, 2022
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 9, 2022
• Online: Oct. 9, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 18, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 18, 2022
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 19, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Charles Calenda (R)

Law Above Politics

Independent Check and Balance on Government

Seeking justice for all Rhode Islanders

Peter Neronha (D)

We have built a strong Office that is getting out on offense and delivering strong results for Rhode Islanders every day, in our role as the state’s only felony prosecutor and in our role as civil attorneys advancing the interests of Rhode Islanders.

To protect public safety more effectively, we created an Urban Violent Crime Task Force, combining multiple police agencies under our umbrella and using proactive police intelligence, data analysis, and ballistics technology to identify and target violent criminals wielding illegal firearms.

Our Civil Division is doing unprecedented work protecting Rhode Island’s healthcare systems, including saving two safety net hospitals, bringing cases against landlords whose unlawful conduct and failure to act has resulted in the lead poisoning of their tenants’ children, recovering over a quarter billion dollars in cash and medicine to fight the opioid crisis, intervening in public utility proceedings on behalf of ratepayers, and taking strong steps to safeguard the environment. All this work reflects the Administration’s operative principle: get out on offense for the people of Rhode Island.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Charles Calenda (R)

Ensuring that the criminal justice system is used only to obtain a just outcome in every case and all decisions made in those cases will be based on the law and facts, not politics.

Peter Neronha (D)

- Protecting Public Safety

- Access to High-Quality and Affordable Healthcare, including reproductive healthcare - Environmental Protection - Consumer Protection from Scams and Deceptive Business Practices - Worker’s Rights

- Open and Transparent Government

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Charles Calenda (R)

In Rhode Island, the Attorney General is like the DA in other states. The AG is the Chief prosecutor for most criminal cases heard throughout the state, which is unusual when comparing the states. Although the election is done on a partisan basis, I think that needs to change because politics has no place in the decision-making process of the cases that come before that office. My personal politics will play no role in the cases that the office handles in my administration.

The National Association of Attorneys General has described the office as being at the "intersection of law and public policy." What does that mean to you?

Charles Calenda (R)

Unfortunately partisan politics has taken on an outsized role in the offices of the Attorney General. The Attorney General should never be making public policy. They are there to enforce the laws in a fair and equitable manner. There is plenty of discretion in that role but that discretion needs to be used judiciously and cautiously so that the people can be assured that the law applies equally to everyone no matter the optics and politics of the situation.

The attorney general often sets policy priorities for law enforcement. For example, a state's attorney general may decide to dedicate extra resources to combat human trafficking. Are there certain areas of law enforcement that you would emphasize?

Charles Calenda (R)

An absolute crack down on the rise of violent crime in Rhode Island, particularly Providence. The Office must work with its law enforcement partners as opposed to focusing on prosecuting them based on pressure from many outside political groups.

A state's attorney general has many responsibilities. Which of those do you personally consider the most important?

Charles Calenda (R)

To be the independent check and balance on all matters related to the law, including checking and balancing the other branches of government. In Rhode Island, the Attorney General is an independently elected Constitutional officer who answers only to the voters, not any other official.

Attorneys general can represent their states in legal conflicts with the federal government. Do you consider this an important part of an attorney general's responsibilities?

Charles Calenda (R)

To an extent yes. But not to make a political statement and certainly not simply because the federal government may be run by the opposite political party. If there is an issue that adversely affects the best interests of Rhode Islanders due to a policy of the federal government, certainly I would use the office to fight for all Rhode Islanders’ best interests.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a state's attorney general to have previous experience in government or politics?

Charles Calenda (R)

Government yes. Politics no.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Charles Calenda (R)

I’ve always admired President Reagan. While he was demonized by many for being old and quirky, he had the “it” factor that made his charismatic personality respectable to even those who were not aligned with his ideology. I’d like to emulate his eternal optimism in our country because it lifted the spirits of millions of Americans.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Charles Calenda (R)

As a former prosecutor, my style was very much like the fictional assistant DA in the first 4 seasons of the original Law & Order, Ben Stone, portrayed by Michael Moriarty. He wasn’t brash like his successor Jack McCoy, but he was out to do the right thing all the time in a rational and thoughtful manner. McCoy was more popular as a character because he pushed the limits of his power, sometimes for questionable purposes, but Stone was more of a man guided by the law and professional ethics that comes with being a prosecutor, even if he didn’t like the results.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Charles Calenda (R)

Honesty, transparency and the willingness to be the voice of the people. Particularly the Attorney General. That person is the people’s attorney.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Charles Calenda (R)

I am a forceful advocate for the rule of law and can make articulate arguments on legal issues affecting our state.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Charles Calenda (R)

The ability to put one’s personal opinions aside and enforce the rule of law so that justice may be achieved for all involved in any particular case.

Peter Neronha (D)

To be an effective advocate for the people of Rhode Island across a broad range of subject areas, including keeping them safe from crime, holding those would take advantage of them accountable, ensuring their access to affordable and high-quality healthcare, protecting them as consumers, safeguarding the environment, and much more.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Charles Calenda (R)

That I made the Office an apolitical office that returned to its original mission - to do justice in every case all the time.

Peter Neronha (D)

That we built a significantly stronger Attorney General’s Office that understands the breadth of its role as the people’s lawyer and is capable of delivering real results for Rhode Islanders across a broad range of subject areas.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Charles Calenda (R)

The first event I remember was the Challenger Explosion and President Reagan’s address to the nation following the tragedy. I remember my mother being saddened at the fact that a civilian teacher was going to be the first civilian person in space and she didn’t get there.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Charles Calenda (R)

My first job was working as a “bus boy” at a beach club restaurant when I was 15. It lasted that summer. But my first real job that I kept for years through high school and even parts of law school was that if Ocean State Job Lot, a discount retail store where I started as a cashier and became a front end supervisor during school breaks. Every school break, I would return to Rhode Island and work at Job Lot where I honed my customer service listening skills. While at school, I worked as a referee for club league basketball and soccer.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Peter Neronha (D)

Dreadnought, by Robert K. Massie. Because I love naval history, and Dreadnought, which is about the world naval arms race prior to WWI, is the best naval history I have read.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Charles Calenda (R)

Find Out Who Your Friends Are

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Charles Calenda (R)

Learning to prioritize issues that are important to me. I want to go full steam ahead on every issue that comes my way but realistically that is simply not possible.

Peter Neronha (D)

To find all the time I would like to spend with my wife and sons.

Past elections

2018

See also: Rhode Island Attorney General election, 2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Rhode Island

Peter Neronha defeated Alan Gordon in the general election for Attorney General of Rhode Island on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Peter Neronha (D)	79.8	274,350
		Alan Gordon (Compassion Party)	19.1	65,674
		Other/Write-in votes	1.1	3,657

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 343,681 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Charles Picerno (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Rhode Island

Peter Neronha advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Rhode Island on September 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Peter Neronha	100.0	91,784

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 91,784
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Rhode Island attorney general election, 2014

Democratic incumbent Peter Kilmartin won re-election on November 4, 2014.

Attorney General of Rhode Island, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Peter Kilmartin Incumbent	56.9%	177,981
	Republican	Dawson Hodgson	43%	134,444
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.2%	589
Total Votes				313,014
Election results via State of Rhode Island

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in Rhode Island and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Rhode Island, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Rhode Island's 1st	David Cicilline	Democratic	D+12
Rhode Island's 2nd	Open	Democratic	D+4

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Rhode Island
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Rhode Island's 1st	63.8%	34.7%
Rhode Island's 2nd	56.1%	42.4%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 84.5% of Rhode Islanders lived in one of the state's four Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 15.5% lived in Kent County, the state's one Battleground Democratic county. Overall, Rhode Island was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Rhode Island following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Rhode Island county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	4	84.5%
Battleground Democratic	1	15.5%
Total voted Democratic	5	100.0%
Total voted Republican	0	0.0%

Historical voting trends

Rhode Island presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 21 Democratic wins
• 10 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	R	D	D	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Rhode Island

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Rhode Island.

U.S. Senate election results in Rhode Island
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	66.6%	33.4%
2018	61.6%	38.4%
2014	70.6%	29.3%
2012	64.8%	35.0%
2008	73.4%	26.6%
Average	66.6	33.4

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Rhode Island

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Rhode Island.

Gubernatorial election results in Rhode Island
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	52.6%	37.2%
2014	40.7%	36.2%
2010	36.1% (Independent)	33.6%
2006	51.0%	49.0%
2002	54.8%	45.2%
Average	47.0	40.2

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Rhode Island's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Rhode Island, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	2	4
Republican	0	0	0
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	2	4

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Rhode Island's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Rhode Island, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Daniel McKee
Lieutenant Governor	Sabina Matos
Secretary of State	Nellie Gorbea
Attorney General	Peter Neronha

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Rhode Island State Legislature as of November 2022.

Rhode Island State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	33
	Republican Party	5
	Vacancies	0
Total		38

Rhode Island House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	65
	Republican Party	10
	Independent	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		75

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Rhode Island was a Democratic trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Rhode Island Party Control: 1992-2022
Thirteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	I	I	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Rhode Island and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

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Demographic Data for Rhode Island
	Rhode Island	United States
Population	1,052,567	308,745,538
Land area (sq mi)	1,033	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	80.5%	72.5%
Black/African American	6.8%	12.7%
Asian	3.4%	5.5%
Native American	0.5%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more	3.3%	3.3%
Hispanic/Latino	15.4%	18%
Education
High school graduation rate	88.8%	88%
College graduation rate	34.2%	32.1%
Income
Median household income	$67,167	$62,843
Persons below poverty level	12.4%	13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Rhode Island Attorney General official website