Angela Lima, a former three-term member of the Newport City Council, announced Thursday that she is running for the Rhode Island Senate’s District 13 seat representing Newport and Jamestown.
The announcement sets up a Democratic primary against Sen. Dawn Euer, who launched her own reelection campaign earlier this week and has held the seat since winning a 2017 special election.
Lima represented Ward 1 on the Newport City Council for three terms before announcing in June 2024 that she would not seek a fourth, telling residents at the time that her focus needed to shift to her family, career and “new ways I can show up for Newport.” In that same announcement, she said her advocacy at the State House would continue.
In her campaign launch Thursday, Lima described herself as a first-generation American who grew up in Rhode Island and said she would focus on housing affordability, healthcare access, public education and government transparency. She framed her candidacy as a challenge to what she called Rhode Island’s “established order,” saying District 13 voters need “a fresh face.”
“My decision to run comes from years of working both inside and outside government, as well as my lived experience. I bring a different approach, one that is centered on engagement, education and access,” Lima said in a statement. “My career has been about leveraging any platform I’ve had to help make government work for everyone, not just a select few. I’m running to bring community-driven leadership to the Rhode Island State Senate where policy isn’t just written for the people, but with the people.”
Lima said her priorities would include making housing affordable for renters, buyers and owners; expanding access to affordable healthcare; ensuring all children have access to high-quality education; and making state government more responsive and accountable.
On the council, Lima cited her work on environmental justice and stormwater infrastructure investments, her role in bringing equitable development zoning to Newport, support for a two-tiered tax structure and the installation of Rhode Island’s first Pride crosswalk.
Lima’s candidacy will test some local political alignments. When she announced in 2024 that she would not seek reelection, Lima endorsed Ellen Pinnock to succeed her in Ward 1 and Stephanie Smyth in an at-large race. Both Pinnock and Smyth are listed among the hosts of a Saturday fundraiser kicking off Euer’s reelection campaign, alongside Attorney General Peter Neronha, Secretary of State Gregg Amore and former Newport Mayor Jamie Bova.
District 13 covers Newport and Jamestown. The state’s Democratic primary is scheduled for September.
