Barrington Democratic Town Committee Chair Pam Lauria announced last week that she will be running for the District 32 seat in the RI Senate. The seat is being vacated by retiring Sen. Cindy Coyne. The district includes all of Barrington and portions of Bristol and East Providence.

“I want to thank Sen. Coyne for serving our community so well these past 8 years,” Lauria said. “Cindy has been a true leader on many important issues, and I was honored when she recently encouraged me to run for this seat. After careful consideration and discussion with my family – I am ready to run. I know that I can bring my experience in healthcare, advocacy, and community service to the critical policy discussions in the Senate while collaborating on real solutions.”

Sen. Coyne said, “Pam was one of the first people I reached out to, to let her know that I was not seeking reelection... and I encouraged her to run for this seat. Pam has been an incredible leader for the RI Democratic Party, the Barrington Democratic Town Committee, and has been an important voice from the advocacy community on many important issues including reproductive rights, gun safety and education. She will represent this district well.”

Lauria is a life-long East Bay resident. She grew up in East Providence before moving to Barrington with her husband and raising their family there. She is a primary care nurse practitioner at Coastal Medical with 25 years’ experience, now serving as a trustee on Coastal’s board. She is a volunteer and advocate with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and a member of Barrington’s Housing Board of Trustees, working to increase affordable housing in Barrington. She has led the Barrington Democratic Town Committee since 2017, and has successfully helped elect Democrats to local, state and federal office. She is married to David Lauria, a teacher at Mt. Hope High School in Bristol. Their two children, Jacob and Maddie attended Barrington Public Schools and are both currently enrolled in college.

“Working on policies that impact all Rhode Islanders’ health and wellness will be high among my priorities. Affordable/equitable/accessible healthcare, commonsense laws to reduce gun violence, affordable housing, supporting children educationally and emotionally, and making RI affordable for all are essential. I love the East Bay and would be honored to represent the community in the RI Senate,” she said.