Newport Councilman Xaykham Rexford Khamsyvoravong (Xay) is among five Democrats who are squaring off in September’s primary election for Lieutenant Governor. The winner of that primary will face Republican John Loughlin in November’s general election.
None of the candidates won enough votes from delegates at the Democrat State Convention, which required 82 votes for the formal endorsement. Even though he did not win the endorsement, Xay finished first in delegate voting with 71, followed by Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, who received 55 delegate votes.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Gregg Amore is running unopposed. The only other declared candidate for the race, Anthony Tamba, a Democrat, failed to collect the 500 signatures needed to win placement on the ballot.
In the race for General Treasuer, incumbent James A. Diossa is being challenged by Republican Nicholas Credle.
WhatsUpNewp has been profiling key races in the upcoming elections. Today we focus on Lieutenant Governor and General Treasurer.
Besides Xay, Matos, the other Democrat candidates for Lieutenant Governor are Susan AnderBois, Cynthia Cloyne, and Ross McCurdy. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Loughlin in the November general election.
Here’s brief look at the candidates:
Lieutenant Governor
Xay, 41, is a former deputy chief of staff for the Rhode Island General Treasurer and a former mayor of Newport. He continues to serve on the Newport City Council. A lawyer, Xay is currently managing director at U.S. Pension Partners. He recently led Gov. Dan McKee’s transition working group on infrastructure. He is also on the board of Grow Smart Rhode Island. Xay is on the advisory board of Sail Newport and previously served on the boards of Young Voices and Girls on the Run RI. According to Board of Elections finance reports, Xay had a cash balance of $273,470 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter ended at the end of June, with candidates required to report finances by July 31.
Matos, 52, is the first Dominican American elected to statewide office in the United States and the first Black statewide officeholder in Rhode Island. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 20 with her parents and sister. She was elected by the State Senate to replace then Lieutenant Governor Dan McKee in 2021, after Gov. Gina Raimondo was named U.S. Commerce Secretary, and McKee rose to governor. Matos won the 2022 election for Lieutenant Governor in 2022 and lost in a primary election for Rhode Island’s first district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023. Previously she served on the Providence City Council, representing the 15th ward, and served as council president. Matos had a cash balance of $74,332 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter ended at the end of June, with candidates required to report finances by July 31.
AnderBois, 42, a Providence City Councilor, representing the third ward. She is the Deputy Majority Whip. AnderBois is also director of Food Strategy and was the Northeast Division Director of Climate & Energy at The Nature Conservancy. AnderBois had a cash balance of $98,862 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter ended at the end of June, with candidates required to report finances by July 31.
Coyne, 64, served in the State Senate, representing District 32 (Barrington, Bristol, East Providence) from 2013 to 2023. Previously, she served on the Barrington Town Council. A lieutenant in the state police, she retired in 2026. According to filings at the Elections Board, there was no financial report for Coyne at the end of the first quarter.
McCurdy, an Air Force veteran and a high school science teacher for 26 years, ran for lieutenant governor as an independent in 2022, finishing with 5.5 percent of the vote. Matos won that election with 51.2 percent of the vote, beating McCurdy and Republican Aaron Guckian (43.1 percent), who is a Republican candidate for governor this year. McCurdy had a cash balance of $74 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter ended at the end of June, with candidates required to report finances by July 31.
Loughlin, 67, represented the 71st district (Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton) in the State House of Representatives from 2005 – 2010. He also served as minority whip, resigning from the House to run for U.S. House of Representatives in the first district. He lost to Providence Mayor David Cicilline. He currently hosts a radio show on local radio. Loughlin previously worked in media at radio and television stations. He also worked at NASA as a public affairs officer. Loughlin served in the Rhode Island Air National Guard and Rhode Island Army National Guard. He reached the rank of Senior Airman in Air National Guard, and Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard. Loughlin had a cash balance of $34,542 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter ended at the end of June, with candidates required to report finances by July 31.
General Treasurer
Diossa, 41, a Democrat, was elected Rhode Island General Treasurer in 2022. A native of Central Falls, he served on the city council and then as the city’s mayor, becoming the youngest mayor in the city’s history. He led the city’s recovery from bankruptcy. He also served as Senior Advisor at Brown University’s Policy Lab before his election as Treasurer. Diossa had a cash balance of $356,765 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter ended at the end of June, with candidates required to report finances by July 31.
Credle, 44. His Linked In page lists him as chairman of the board and president of the Pyramid Club of Newport, a fulltime position that he’s held since October 2025. On Credle’s Linked In page he describes The Pyramid Club as “a longstanding private social institution established in 1951.” He also lists a part-time position as successor trustee with The Credle Family Charitable Trust. Credle lists several different positions in which he served at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. Credle has said he retired from the military with a rank of lieutenant. The Secretary of State’s office reported that Credle had been registered as a Democrat in 2019, and re-registered as a Republican on January 2 of this year. Credle had a cash balance of $1,935 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter ended at the end of June, with candidates required to report finances by July 31.
