by Alexander Castro, Rhode Island Current
March 11, 2026
Democratic Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore launched his reelection campaign on his home turf Wednesday in the company of his many friends in high places, from General Assembly leaders to local union and party bosses.
Also present: the GOP opponent Amore beat in the 2022 general election.
In a break room at UA Local 51 Plumbers and Pipefitters union headquarters in East Providence, Amore told the crowd that his former opponent Pat Cortellessa “is a true gentleman.” From the audience, Cortellessa silently flashed two thumbs up.
Cortellessa told Rhode Island Current after the short speaking program that he’s gotten to know Amore since the previous election where he won a little over 40% of the vote. He has even testified on behalf of Amore-led initiatives like his ongoing plea for an improved state archives building and history center.
“I really got to like this gentleman, his persona, his outlook,” Cortellessa said. “He’s cleaned up the voting rolls. He’s enforced the signature issue on validation, and I believe that he should continue on the next four years.”
So far Amore remains unopposed for his reelection bid for the statewide office which oversees everything from elections and the state archives to lobbyist and business registrations. Any eventual opponents would face an incumbent backed by a weighty slate of supporters, many of whom lined up next to him at Wednesday’s event. Among the guests were union boss Pat Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson. All extolled Amore’s capabilities and successes in their respective comments.
Also attending, but not speaking, were Treasurer James Diossa and Liz Beretta-Perik, chair of the Rhode Island Democratic party. East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva also made a non-speaking appearance. Amore was presented a gift by Paul Alvarez, the business manager of UA Local 51: An apple pie from Gregg’s, the local restaurant chain known for its desserts.
“We gave Gina Raimondo a pie when she was first running for governor, and we want to think that that’s the reason she won the governor’s race,” Alvarez said.
“I am the last person that should get a pie,” Amore, a former state representative, joked in his turn at the podium before detailing his achievements in the office over the past three years.
The Rhode Island Civic Leadership Program, which Amore called “nationally recognized,” has attracted over 300 participants from more than 50 of the state’s high schools, he said. Amore said he’s also given more than 120 voting and civics lessons which focus on “the importance of voting and why you need to vote every chance you get” in locales across Rhode Island.
“I’ve stood up to the federal overreach of our elections administration, and that resulted in being sued,” Amore said, referencing a recent battle with President Donald Trump’s administration over the feds’ access to voter roll information. “‘The United States versus Gregg Amore.’ I’m up for that fight.”
Amore portrayed unions as a force for good in electoral politics, recalling his father as “a union man, a proud and active member of Local 310 Utility Workers of America” who took his 7-year-old son to a picket line at the electric company.
“It’s more important than ever to remind people that one of the most democratizing forces in American history is the American labor movement,” Amore said. “The American labor movement has been at the forefront of nearly every expansion of voting rights the nation has undertaken. It has given voice to working people of this country, members and nonmembers alike.”
Lawson, who also serves as president of the National Education Association Rhode Island, shares political and career paths with Amore. Both are East Providence Democrats and former teachers.
“Greg and I go back forever — eighth grade,” Lawson said. “So I’ve had a long time to see Greg grow into the person he is today. That dedicated teacher…the dedicated public servant and the proud townie that we both are.”
Crowley, among the most powerful and influential labor leaders in the state, referenced Amore’s former life as a high school history and civics teacher — a role Crowley suggested has continued in his current role, just slightly transformed.
“He’s the social studies teacher, the history teacher for all of us here in Rhode Island,” Crowley said.
Not one to miss an opportunity for a history lesson, Amore invoked the nation’s past as a valuable lesson for the future.
“Our founding fathers were aligned in their belief that in order for the American experiment to be successful, the nation’s citizens and leaders needed to be virtuous,” Amore said. “They knew human beings were imperfect. They were imperfect, but they also knew that if people lived a virtuous life or tried to…that it could combat the worst instincts of [hu]mankind.”
“Let’s treat each other well, let’s be respectful, let’s be decent, even when we passionately disagree,” Amore said.
Amore had $180,000 in his campaign account at the end of 2025. The General Election is Nov. 3, 2026.
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