Just after Dawn Euer won the Democratic Primary for Senate District 13 on Tuesday night, Republican Michael “Mike” Smith issued a statement calling his Democratic opponent the “most progressive candidate in the race” and encouraging the rest of the Democratic field to rally around his candidacy.
“After a hard-fought primary on Tuesday, the most progressive candidate on the left won – Dawn Euer. Bought by special interests, including Planned Parenthood that spent over $10,000 on her behalf, her campaign now hopes that they can slide her into the State House and push their anti-growth, anti-business and anti-family agenda forward,” the statement from Smith said.
Dawn Euer bested a field of four Democrats, all of whom had backing from powerful individuals in Newport and Jamestown and around the state. The district covers all of Jamestown and parts of Newport. Allard pledged to back the winning Democratic candidate. The other candidates – David Hanos and John Florez – did not respond to an email question from WhatsUpNewp asking if they would support the winning Democratic candidate if they lost.
“As a fellow candidate, I want to thank the other candidates in Tuesday’s primary for their commitment to democracy. I also want to encourage their supporters to stay involved and rally around what is best for Jamestown and Newport – a voice of reason who is not bought by special interests,” added Smith. “I encourage them to rally around my candidacy because the stakes are just too high, and the results of this primary were clear: even most of the Democrats voted for a candidate besides an extremist like Euer.”
Euer will face Republican Michael Smith, who owns Industry Electric and has previously run unsuccessfully for state Representative and state Senate; Independent Kimberly Ripoli, former associate director of the Division of Veterans Affairs and a 26-year Navy veteran; and Green Party candidate Gregory Larson, a Newport resident, who previously ran unsuccessfully for state House of Representatives.
“After knocking on thousands of doors and holding more than a dozen events in Jamestown and Newport, it is clear to me that I, not Dawn Euer and her progressive vision, hold the values and priorities of Jamestown and Newport voters. They need and want a candidate who is laser-focused on helping everyone have a better standard of living – someone with a vision for a year-round economy and an environment that keeps families growing in our communities while lowering our tax burdens,” Smith said. “Someone who understands that voters are real people and puts them first and not special interest groups. I’m confident the voters know this and will vote for me as our new senator with a clear prosperous vision for Newport and Jamestown and all of Rhode Island on August 22nd.”
The last day to register to vote in the Senate District 13 Special Election on August 22nd is July 23rd. The last day to submit a mail ballot application is August 1st and the Emergency Ballot Period is from August 2nd through August 21st. For more information on how or where to vote in the Special Election, contact the City Of Newport’s Canvassing Authority or Jamestown’s Board of Canvassers.