Sam Bell (Rhode Island)

Sam Bell

Democratic Party

Rhode Island State Senate District 5

Tenure

2019 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

5

Predecessor

Paul Jabour

Compensation

Base salary

$19,037/year

Per diem

$No per diem is paid

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Amherst College, 2011

Ph.D

Brown University, 2016

Personal

Profession

Geologist

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

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Sam Bell (Democratic Party) is a member of the Rhode Island State Senate, representing District 5. He assumed office on January 1, 2019. His current term ends on January 7, 2025.

Bell (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Rhode Island State Senate to represent District 5. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Sam Bell earned his bachelor's degree from Amherst College in 2011. He then received a Ph.D. in geology from Brown University in 2016. His professional experience includes work as a geologist.

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Bell was assigned to the following committees:

• Commerce Committee

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2021-2022

Bell was assigned to the following committees:

• Health and Human Services Committee
• Special Legislation and Veterans' Affairs

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2019-2020

Bell was assigned to the following committees:

• Commerce Committee
• Housing and Municipal Government Committee

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Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 5

Incumbent Sam Bell defeated William Connell in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 5 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Bell (D)	77.6	6,957
		William Connell (R)	21.8	1,953
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	53

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 8,963
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5

Incumbent Sam Bell advanced from the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5 on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Bell	100.0	1,312

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 1,312
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5

William Connell advanced from the Republican primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5 on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Connell	100.0	80

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 80
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Bell in this election.

2022

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 5

Incumbent Sam Bell won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 5 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Bell (D)	93.8	5,795
		Other/Write-in votes	6.2	383

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,178
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5

Incumbent Sam Bell defeated David Salvatore in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5 on September 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Bell	60.2	2,551
		David Salvatore	39.8	1,687

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,238
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Delia Rodriguez-Masjoan (D)

2020

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 5

Incumbent Sam Bell won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 5 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Bell (D)	96.8	7,659
		Other/Write-in votes	3.2	257

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,916
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5

Incumbent Sam Bell defeated Jo-Ann Ryan in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5 on September 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Bell	72.5	2,139
		Jo-Ann Ryan	27.5	812

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,951
= 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.

2018

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Rhode Island State Senate District 5

Sam Bell won election in the general election for Rhode Island State Senate District 5 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Bell (D)	96.7	5,868
		Other/Write-in votes	3.3	200

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,068
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5

Sam Bell defeated incumbent Paul Jabour and Nicholas Autiello II in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island State Senate District 5 on September 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sam Bell	44.2	1,639
		Paul Jabour	39.4	1,463
		Nicholas Autiello II	16.4	608

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,710
= 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.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Rhode Island

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Rhode Island scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].
In 2023, the Rhode Island State Legislature was in session from January 3 to June 16. ACLU of Rhode Island Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Rhode Island State Legislature was in session from January 4 to June 23. ACLU of Rhode Island Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties. Common Cause Rhode Island Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization. Environmental Council of Rhode Island Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Rhode Island State Legislature was in session from January 5 to July 1. ACLU of Rhode Island Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties. Common Cause Rhode Island Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization. Environmental Council of Rhode Island Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].
In 2020, the Rhode Island State Legislature was in session from January 7 to August 30. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].
In 2019, the Rhode Island General Assembly was in session from January 1 through June 30. ACLU of Rhode Island Legislators are tracked on their votes related to civil liberties. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sam Bell did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Sam Bell did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Sam Bell did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Ballotpedia biographical submission form

The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:

“	What is your political philosophy? I am a traditional Democrat who believes in returning our party to progressive values. I believe in repealing the tax cuts for the rich so we can invest in the things that matter most to families--our schools, our roads, affordable housing, and life-saving healthcare programs like Medicaid. I believe in equality for all, and I am strongly committed to saving reproductive rights in our state. I am proud to advocate for gun control, criminal justice reform, and rolling back a legacy of racist policies. Perhaps most importantly, I believe in standing up to the corrupt machine that has managed our state so poorly. Without a political system that works for working families, we will never win real change for Providence.	”
—Sam Bell

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Sam Bell campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Rhode Island State Senate District 5	Won general	$35,687	$0
2022	Rhode Island State Senate District 5	Won general	$65,267	$0
2020	Rhode Island State Senate District 5	Won general	$53,416	N/A**
2018	Rhode Island State Senate District 5	Won general	$55,758	N/A**
Grand total			$210,128	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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External links

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Candidate

Rhode Island State Senate District 5

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Rhode Island State Senate District 5

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Paul Jabour (D)	Rhode Island State Senate District 5 2019-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Rhode Island State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Dominick Ruggerio

Majority Leader:Ryan Pearson

Minority Leader:Jessica de la Cruz

Senators

District 1

Jake Bissaillon (D)

District 2

Ana Quezada (D)

District 3

Sam Zurier (D)

District 4

Dominick Ruggerio (D)

District 5

Sam Bell (D)

District 6

Tiara Mack (D)

District 7

Frank Ciccone (D)

District 8

Vacant

District 9

John Burke (D)

District 10

Walter Felag (D)

District 11

Linda Ujifusa (D)

District 12

Louis DiPalma (D)

District 13

Dawn Euer (D)

District 14

Valarie Lawson (D)

District 15

Meghan Kallman (D)

District 16

Jonathon Acosta (D)

District 17

Thomas Paolino (R)

District 18

Robert Britto (D)

District 19

Ryan Pearson (D)

District 20

Roger Picard (D)

District 21

Gordon Rogers (R)

District 22

David Tikoian (D)

District 23

Jessica de la Cruz (R)

District 24

Melissa Murray (D)

District 25

Vacant

District 26

Frank Lombardi (D)

District 27

Hanna Gallo (D)

District 28

Joshua Miller (D)

District 29

Anthony DeLuca (R)

District 30

Mark McKenney (D)

District 31

Matthew LaMountain (D)

District 32

Pamela Lauria (D)

District 33

Leonidas Raptakis (D)

District 34

Elaine Morgan (R)

District 35

Bridget Valverde (D)

District 36

Alana DiMario (D)

District 37

V. Sosnowski (D)

District 38

Victoria Gu (D)

Democratic Party (31)

Republican Party (5)

Vacancies (2)