2026 Providence mayoral election
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November 3, 2026
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The 2026 Providence mayoral election will be held on November 3, 2026. Incumbent Democratic mayor Brett Smiley ran for re-election to a second term in office, but was defeated in the September 9 primary.
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- David Morales, state representative from the 7th district (2021–present)[1]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Brett Smiley, incumbent mayor[1]
Withdrawn
[edit]- Michael English, paralegal[2]
Endorsements
[edit]David Morales
- U.S. senators
- Bernie Sanders, Vermont (2007–present) (Independent)[3]
- U.S. representatives
- State legislators
- Sam Bell, state senator from the 5th district (2019–present)[5]
- Linda Kushner, former state representative from the 4th district (1983–1993)[6]
- Aaron Regunberg, former state representative from the 4th district (2015–2019)[5]
- Enrique Sanchez, state representative from the 9th district (2023–present)[5]
- Moira Walsh, former state representative from the 3rd district (2017–2021)[5]
- Local officials
- Jorge Elorza, former mayor of Providence (2015–2023)[7]
- Labor unions
- Rhode Island Federation of Teachers Local 6516[5]
- Providence Teachers Union[8]
- Service Employees International Union Rhode Island State Council[9]
- UNITE HERE Local 26[5]
- Organizations
- Political parties
- Rhode Island Working Families Party[5]
Brett Smiley
- Executive branch officials
- Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. secretary of transportation (2021–2025)[8]
- Gina Raimondo, former U.S. secretary of commerce (2021–2025)[10]
- State legislators
- Grace Diaz, state representative from the 11th district (2005–present)[11]
- Ana Quezada, state senator from the 2nd district (2017–present)[11]
- Labor unions
- Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council[12]
- Organizations
- Political parties
- Newspapers
Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
David Morales |
Brett Smiley |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord Public Opinion Partners[14][A] | August 19–20, 2026 | 310 (LV) | ± 5.56% | 48% | 38% | 13% |
| Concord Public Opinion Partners[16][B] | July 19–20, 2026 | 305 (LV) | ± 5.65% | 38% | 42% | 19% |
Debate
[edit]| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| David Morales | Brett Smiley | |||||
| 1 | July 17, 2026 | WPRI-TV | Alexandra Leslie Ted Nesi Tim White |
P | P | |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Morales | 14,299 | 52.45 | |
| Democratic | Brett Smiley (incumbent) | 12,961 | 47.55 | |
| Total votes | 27,260 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Dave Talan, former nuclear engineer[17]
Independents
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Allen Waters, investment consultant and perennial candidate[18]
General election
[edit]Debates and forums
[edit]| 2026 Providence mayoral election debates and forums | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | ||||||||||
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
|||||||||||||||
| Michael English (D) | David Morales (D) | Brett Smiley (D) | Dave Talan (R) | Allen Waters (I) | |||||||||||
| 1[19] | April 22, 2026 | Brown Votes | – | P | P | P | N | P | |||||||
| 2[17] | June 24, 2026 | Various neighbourhood organizations[b] | Lanre Ajakaiye | W | P | P | P | P | |||||||
| 3[21] | July 20, 2026 | Rhode Island League of Women Voters Providence Community Libraries |
– | W | P | P | P | N | |||||||
| 4[21] | July 23, 2026 | Rhode Island League of Women Voters Providence Community Libraries |
– | W | P | P | P | N | |||||||
| 5[22] | August 4, 2026 | Rhode Island League of Women Voters Providence Community Libraries |
– | W | P | P | P | N | |||||||
| 6[22] | August 4, 2026 | WPRO | Bill Bartholomew |
W | P | P | N | N | |||||||
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - ↑
- Elmwood Neighborhood Association[20]
- Elmwood and & South Providence Crime Watch[20]
- Jacqueline Clements Park (JCP) Collective[20]
- People's Port Authority[20]
- Reservoir Triangle Neighborhood Association[20]
- South Elmwood Neighborhood Association[20]
- South Providence Neighborhood Association[20]
- Washington Park Neighborhood Association[20]
- Partisan clients
- ↑ Poll sponsored by Education Reform Now Advocacy, a group led by former mayor Jorge Elorza.[14]
- ↑ Poll sponsored by Education Reform Now Advocacy, a group led by former mayor Jorge Elorza.[16]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Kohli, Nish (September 15, 2025). "Rep. David Morales announces run for Providence mayor in 2026. What we know". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Providence Mayor Brett Smiley launches reelection campaign". Yahoo. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
Michael English, 54, would have been in the primary, but dropped out of the race on Monday night, citing "worsening personal health issues."
- ↑ Anderson, Patrick. "Providence mayoral candidate Morales picks up endorsement from Bernie Sanders". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- 1 2 "From the Wrestling Ring to City Hall: Young Democratic Socialist Surges in Providence, Rhode Island Mayoral Race". Indypendent. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "David Morales (Rhode Island)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- 1 2 "Providence Mayor's Race: Money v. Grassroots". Go Local Prov. 22 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ McGowan, Dan (3 August 2026). "Jorge Elorza to endorse David Morales for Providence mayor". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 Anderson, Patrick. "Buttigieg endorses Matos and Smiley as teachers union endorses Morales". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ Rogalski, Nolan. "SEIU endorses Morales, expanding union influence in Providence politics". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "Smiley, Morales host dueling campaign rallies in Providence". WPRI. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Legislators Tied to Providence City Hall Jobs Endorse Smiley". Go Local Prov. 6 April 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ "Brett Smiley". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "Smiley, Brett". LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Providence Mayor Primary: Morales Leads Smiley in Poll". Uprise RI. 2 September 2026. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
- ↑ "Editorial: Brett Smiley for Providence Mayor". The Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
- 1 2 Anderson, Patrick (7 August 2026). "Smiley edges Morales in first public poll of Providence mayoral race". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Smiley, Morales trade barbs in Providence mayoral forum". Providence Journal. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Castro, Alexander (February 12, 2026). "Instead of running for Congress, Allen Waters launches Providence mayoral bid as an independent". Rhode Island Current. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Providence mayoral candidates share stances on housing, immigration, transit at Brown community forum". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Fact-checking the Democratic candidates for Mayor of Providence: Housing construction". Providence Preservation Society. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Providence Mayoral Forums 2026". Providence Community Libraries. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- 1 2 Castro, Alexander. "Two debates, three candidates and four takeaways from Providence's mayoral race". Rhode Island Current. Retrieved 6 August 2026.