Patricia Morgan, the Republican candidate challenging Democratic incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse for a U.S. Senate seat, is campaigning on a platform of making Rhode Island more affordable and addressing issues such as immigration and healthcare.
In a recent interview with Frank Prosnitz of What’sUpNewp, Morgan highlighted her 12 years of experience in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and her background as a financial advisor.
“I really want to make Rhode Island affordable again,” Morgan said, emphasizing the struggles of young families and the elderly. “Their paychecks haven’t kept pace with inflation and so their standard of living, their quality of life has really been deteriorating over the last four years.”
Morgan pointed to rising credit card debt as a sign of financial strain on average Americans. She believes her experience as a financial advisor equips her to address these economic challenges.
On immigration, Morgan expressed concern about the impact of illegal immigration on Rhode Island’s housing market. She cited a 2021 Boston Globe article mentioning efforts to include 40,000 undocumented immigrants in the census count.
“We haven’t, we had not built the population of Rhode Island was going down. And the only reason that we kept that second congressional seat was because they got these 40,000 illegal immigrants to register,” Morgan stated.
She advocates for closing the southern border, finishing the border wall, and reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Regarding housing, Morgan criticized recent state legislation that she believes removes local control over housing issues. She opposes a $120 million housing bond on the ballot, arguing that Rhode Island needs to “get our fiscal house in order” to attract businesses and create jobs.
“We really need to start making our economy grow, jobs, good jobs, so that those 30 somethings that are still living in their childhood bedroom can get a good job, can be able to save money and buy their own home and grab their own American dream,” Morgan said.
On healthcare, Morgan acknowledged the national shortage of primary care physicians and the challenges in retaining doctors trained in Rhode Island. She pointed to lower Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates compared to neighboring states as a key factor.
“We do not reimburse at the same rate in Rhode Island on Medicaid or Medicare that our neighboring states do. So they come here, they’re trained here, they’re ready to go and they do go, they leave,” Morgan explained.
She proposed addressing the issue by adjusting reimbursement rates and exploring options like special scholarships for physicians to offset high college tuition costs.
Morgan described herself as a “common sense, practical problem solver” who focuses on everyday Rhode Islanders. She highlighted her past legislative efforts, including introducing a bill to eliminate state income tax on Social Security.
“I really focus on everyday Rhode Islanders and how to make their lives better, how to improve our economy in Rhode Island, how to make it easier for people to live out their lives in comfort and dignity here and make sure that our kids can stay here,” Morgan said.
The candidate emphasized her data-driven approach to decision-making and her goal of allowing Rhode Islanders to keep more of their earnings.
Morgan is running against incumbent Senator Sheldon Whitehouse in the November 5 election. Voters can find more information about her campaign at patriciamorgan.com.
