A January 6 (2021) participant in the “march” on the U.S. Capitol, who moved to Rhode Island too late to qualify to vote in the September 9 primary election in which he’s a candidate, is among those running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Rhode Island.
Vincent Gilbert Mellor, a Republican who participated in the march on Jan. 6, will face off against Republican Dr. Stephen T. Skoly, a dentist whose practice was temporarily shutdown when he refused to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Skoly is suing the state.
The winner of that primary election will face incumbent, Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-Dist. 2, in the November 3 general election.
Mellor, Skoly and Magaziner all apparently collected sufficient signatures to qualify as candidates.
In District 1, Incumbent Gabriel Amo, the Democrat, and Kellie Keenan, the Republican have also collected sufficient signatures. There is no primary election in District 1.
Nomination papers, with 500 plus signatures in the U.S. House races, were filed last Friday.
While candidates have filed nomination papers, they will not be certified to run until elections’ officials certify the signatures. The next significant deadline for candidates is Monday (July 13), which is the deadline for individuals to withdraw their candidacies. Ballot placement takes place later in the week (July 17) and is done by lottery.
WhatsUpNewp is breaking down federal elections for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, statewide general officers, legislative and local elections.
House District 1 basically covers the eastern part of Rhode Island, and District 2 the western part of the state.
U.S. House District 1
Amo was first elected to the House of Representatives in a special election in 2023 to replace David Cicillne, who resigned from Congress to become executive director of the Rhode Island Foundation. He was reelected in 2024.
Before running for Congress, Amo served as Special Assistant to President Joe Biden and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, where he was the principal liaison to mayors and local elected officials. He had also been Governor Gina Raimondo’s Director of Public Engagement and Community Affairs.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, Amo accumulated 662 signatures. The minimum signatures required is 500 for U.S. House of Representatives. As of the end of March, the Federal Election Commission reported that Amo has $1,552,595 cash on hand in his campaign account.
Amo’s challenger is Republican Kellie Eleanor Keenan, who, according to the Secretary of State’s site gathered 718 signatures. The Federal Election Commission has no financial record for Keenan as of the end of March.
Her biography on her campaign website says Keenan attended Suffolk University, where she completed a specialized program for public health leaders. Her website says she served in AmeriCorps NCCC, and began her career at a community health center, which she “started at the front desk” growing “into a career in public health operations, with experience in clinical research and various leadership roles across multiple types of car, including medical, behavioral health, dental, and clinical research.”
U.S. House District 2
In the second district, there is a Republican primary election between Victor Gilbert Mellor and Stephen T. Skoly. The winner will face incumbent Seth Magaziner, who was first elected in 2023.
A second Democrat had declared his candidacy, but according to the Secretary of State’s site only accumulated 191 of the required 500 signatures. Spencer Dickinson, 82, had served as a state Representative, representing South Kingstown, from 1973 to 1980 and again from 2010 to 2014. The FEC reported at the end of March that Dickinson had zero cash on hand.
Magaziner, 42 (turning 43 on July 22), was a public-school teacher before entering politics. He served eight years as the state’s General Treasurer before running and winning the second district House seat in 2023, and winning reelection.
Magaziner, who lived in Providence, which is in the first House district, had said he would move to the district, but has since decided to stay in Providence. Election laws, however, allow individuals to run for a House seat if they live anywhere in the state. The FEC reported that at the end of March, Magaziner had $1,492,754 cash on hand.
Mellor, 56, a Marine veteran, was reportedly among rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Born in Woonsocket, Mellor, until recently lived in Florida, where he operated a business and where his campaign treasurer reportedly lives. He recently registered to vote in Warwick and reportedly will not be eligible to vote In Rhode Island until November 8. The FEC had no report on Mellor at the end of March.
Skoly, 68, is an oral, maxillofacial surgeon, whose practice is in Cranston. During the pandemic, he refused to get the Covid-19 vaccine, and he was ordered to shut down his practice at the time. He has sued the state. The FEC reported that Skoly had $102,219 cash on hand at the end of March, of which he loaned his campaign $90,000.
