EAST PROVIDENCE — The expected matchup to see who will be the city’s second ever elected mayor emerged from the Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022 primary election as incumbent Bob DaSilva earned the chance to seek another term in office against top challenger John Rossi.

Races for municipal offices in city with three or more candidates necessitated a primary. The top two finishers in those advance to the November general election. For state races, including the General Assembly, two members of a party in quest of the same seat also require a primary. The top vote getter advances to the November general.

None of the races in city appeared close enough to be affected by the counting of mail-in, military or overseas ballots. The process of certifying the primary results by the Rhode Island State Board of Elections, though, will still take at least a week. It’s the intention of the BOE to sign off on the results by Tuesday, Sept. 20.

View updated state-wide primary results here...

View updates East Providence primary results here...

City races
DaSilva, in fairness, routed his rivals, receiving 50.7 percent (3,783) ballots tabulated as of 10 p.m. Tuesday night and with 16 of 17 city precincts reporting. His total was more than all three of his competitors combined.

Rossi was the second-place finisher and winner of the second spot into the general with 2,008 votes or 26.9%. Maureen Gomes Lopez received 891 votes or 11.9% and Ruarri J. Miller earned 781 votes or 10.5%.

One of the two other city-wide races requiring a primary had a similar result. Four-term incumbent Jessica Beauchaine earned 54.6% of the votes (1,175) for the Ward 4 School Committee seat, also bettering the combined votes received by her competitors. Jessica Medeiros likely advances to the general as the second place vote getter with 529 to the 448 of Anthony Pedulla.

The other primary race for At-Large School Committee had Anthony Ferreira, who lost his Ward 2 re-election bid to upstart youngster Max Brandle in 2020, received a first-place total of 3,237 or 49.5% Tuesday. That figure, however, was topped by the combined total of his challengers, including Miles Bonalewicz, 2,271, and Rafael Villanova, 1,033. Bonalewicz advances to the general as the second-place finisher.

State races
Remaining in city, one-term incumbent Brianna Henries beat back the challenge of Ashley Pereira, 56%-44%, for the Assembly District 64 House Democratic nomination.

Henries and her Rhode Island Political Cooperative (RIPC) compatriots enjoyed a fruitful 2020 election in East Providence and around the state, but that wasn’t the case this time around.

Fellow RIPC candidate San Shoppell was easily beaten by the party's endorsed candidate Matt Dawson for the Assembly District 65 House Democratic nomination, 64.1%-35.9%.

The results were apparently the same in the two State Senate races. The endorsed incumbent Val Lawson dispatched RIPC candidate Megan Duckworth 62.5%-37-5% for the District 14 Democratic nomination while likewise party endorsed Bob Britto defeated the RIPC’s Greg Greco, 54.4%-45.6% for the District 18 Dem nod.

The latter office was being vacated by one-term RIPC incumbent Cynthia M. Mendes, who upset veteran city pol Billy Conley at the 2020 primary and spun that into a run this cycle for lieutenant governor. Mendes was last in three-person race with 19.7%, losing the Democratic nomination to incumbent Sabina Mathos, 43%, with former State Rep Deb Ruggiero a distant second at 33.3%

In the other race with direct local impact party endorsed Pam Lauria defeated Susannah Holloway, 77.7%-22.3%, in the race for the Senate District 32 Dem nom.

And last but certainly not least, city native and retiring District 65 State Rep Gregg Amore was far and away the winner of the race for the Secretary of State Democratic nomination.

Having received the party's support, the five-term House incumbent stepped aside to pursue state-wide office and took care of step one with ease Tuesday night, smashing opponent Stephanie Beaute, 64.3%-35.7%.

“I am truly humbled and honored to have been chosen as the Democratic nominee for Secretary of State and thank everyone who voted in the primary regardless of who they cast their ballot for,” Amore wrote in a Tuesday night press release. “My passion for and experience in civic engagement and government, my heartfelt belief in public service, instilled in me by my parents, and a deep reverence for the protection of the most fundamental right in our democracy — the right to vote — is what inspired me to run for this office.”

More election day notes
Results from early voting conducted around the state for the previous two-plus weeks were included in the totals produced by local Boards of Canvassers to the Board of Elections Tuesday night, including the 1,814 ballots cast in East Providence.

The following is a timeline produced by the Board of Elections for the final tallying of all primary votes:

Mail Ballots — While the Board expects to count most mail ballots by September 13, ballots placed in authorized drop boxes at City/Town Halls or in polling places must still be tabulated. These ballots are sealed in envelopes and held in secure and sealed containers by the local Board of Canvassers and will be retrieved by Board of Elections teams.

September 14-15 — Remaining drop box ballots and any still uncounted mail ballots will be added to the Mail Ballots totals and made available on our website. Any precincts which failed to transmit their results on Election Night due to any technical issues will be added to the Election Day results and made available on the Board of Elections’ website.

September 16-19 — Military/overseas ballots and deficient mail ballots cured by voters and due to the Board of Elections by September 16 will be added to Mail Ballots Results and will be made available on the Board of Elections’ website prior to final certification.

September 20 — Deficient mail ballots cured by voters and due to the Board of Elections by September 20 will be added to Mail Ballots Results and will be made available on the Board of Elections’ website prior to final certification.

November 8 — General Election Day.