In the end, the attempt to oust Rhode Island Senate President Dominick Ruggerio from the top Senate leadership spot proved unsuccessful.

Ruggerio clinched his eighth year as Senate president by a 14-vote margin among Senate Democrats at a caucus Thursday night. The 23-9 vote, with one abstention and one lawmaker voting “present,” acts as an affirmation of Senate leadership roles, until lawmakers are formally sworn in when the 2025 legislative session begins in January. Eleven senators instead opted for Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson, whose growing feud with Ruggerio became a formal battle earlier this week, when Pearson confirmed he would vie for the no. 1 spot.

A much less divisive election — 32 yes votes, with one no and one “present,” — affirmed Sen. Valarie Lawson as Senate majority leader. Lawson, of East Providence, will replace Pearson as the second-in-command.

Ruggerio, a North Providence Democrat with four decades as a state senator under his belt, offered a bit of levity as he took the podium in a dimly lit event space at Providence’s Waterman Grille.

“Well, that was interesting,” he said. “I’ve never been through anything like that.”

Cane in hand, a deep cut healing on his forehead, Ruggerio insisted he was on the mend after experiencing health setbacks. He pledged to bring senators together to advance a long list of priorities: higher reimbursement rates for primary care providers, full funding for the state panel in charge of carrying out Rhode Island’s decarbonization mandate, and of course, balancing what is expected to be a tight budget in the year ahead.

Behind-the-scenes tension

Ruggerio’s health, and multiple absences during the 2024 session, sowed the seeds of separation between him and Pearson. The two met behind closed doors in March to discuss the Senate President’s physical condition. Pearson, of Cumberland, allegedly expressed interest in taking over the leadership spot, though he has refuted those claims.

Both denied any estrangement, even as rumors swirled. The behind-the-scenes feud was cemented in the public eye in October, when Ruggerio announced he was backing Lawson to be the next majority leader.

Pearson at the time was caught off-guard by the news, but indicated he would not give up the spot without a fight. Earlier this week, Pearson confirmed he would vie for the Senate president seat rather than majority leader.

In a Nov. 6 email sent to fellow senators, Pearson proposed an alternative leadership team, led by himself with Lawson, of East Providence, as majority leader; Sen. Dawn Euer of Newport as majority whip; Sen. Hanna Gallo of Cranston as president pro tempore; and Sen. Ana Quezada of Providence as deputy president pro tempore.

“Without a leader in the room every day working with Senators, the House and The Governor, the Senate’s effectiveness has suffered and our ability to deliver results for our constituents has been weakened,” Pearson wrote. “Senators have shared with me their many frustrations with the way business was conducted during the last legislative session, including the lack of communication, the lack of commitment to a legislative agenda, too much reliance on staff, and the waning of Senate negotiating power with the House.”

Euer, who nominated Pearson as president Thursday night, shared similar concerns over the consequences of Ruggerio’s absence this year.

“It has not allowed us to be our best,” Euer said, repeating the statement a second time.

Ruggerio’s supporters, however, highlighted his open door policy, decades of experience and dedication to his constituents as reasons why he should remain their leader.

“Donnie has shown a willingness to adapt and change, at times at a significant personal cost, something that is not lost on me as a pro-choice, openly queer senator,” said Sen. Melissa Murray of Woonsocket. 

Ruggerio drummed up support among longstanding senators along with all of the newly elected senators. In Pearson’s camp were several freshman and more progressive legislators alongside Euer, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Alana DiMario, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture.

Others backing Pearson were: Jonathan Acosta, Meghan Kallman, Tiara Mack, Quezada, Linda Ujifusa, and Bridget Valverde.

Sen. Pamela Lauria voted “present” while Sen. Sam Bell abstained.

Mack, who canvassed for Ruggerio ahead of his contested September primary, said she was swayed to back Pearson because she never received the signed letter from a majority of Senate Democrats calling for the caucus to be held, despite requesting it multiple times.

In an interview after the caucus ended, Mack, of Providence, said she felt like she and other senators of color had been excluded, frustrations echoed in a debate during the caucus meeting over transparency and inclusion.

Secret ballot proposal fails

Several senators sought to make the selection for senate president chosen by secret ballot, citing potential sanctions for those who picked the losing candidate. Critics insisted that a public, roll call vote was necessary for transparency.

“If we don’t have the gall to stand up and say how we feel, and who we’re voting for, that’s a disgrace,” said Sen. Frank Ciccone, of Johnston. 

The roll call option prevailed, ironically affirmed via a roll call vote. 

Speaking to reporters after, Ruggerio said he would not sanction anybody, including Pearson. Asked for his thoughts about his former ally challenging his leadership role, Ruggerio shrugged.

 “It’s a free country,” he replied.

DiMario said she had not received any threats or warnings of sanctions for not backing Ruggero. 

“Of course, it’s a possibility,” she said in a later interview. “I understood the risk.”

John Marion, executive director for Common Cause Rhode Island, pointed to the fallout from the 2014 battle for speaker of the House as proof. 

“If history is any guide, there will be a price to pay for the price to pay for senators who end up on the losing side,” Marion said.

Cranston Democrat Nicholas Mattiello prevailed against Scituate’s Michael Marcello for the open leadership spot following former Speaker Gordon Fox’s abrupt resignation. The competition didn’t end up being a close one after all, with Mattiello securing 61 votes to Marcello’s 6, according to news reports. 

A flurry of surprising budget items and policy proposals in the months that followed hinted at deals Mattiello cut to win the leadership position. 

Marion suspected similar behind-the-scenes promises could have been brokered between Ruggerio and his supporters ahead of Thursday’s caucus.

“There are things that will happen 12 months from now that we won’t even know were promises made to secure votes,” Marion said.

To the outsider looking in, a failed political power play might not seem to amount to much. But in Rhode Island, legislative leaders hold an outsized amount of power, controlling which policy priorities advance to the floor.

“The vote for leader is ultimately one of the most important, if not the most important, votes of the next two years,” Marion said.

Despite the potential closed-door negotiations, Marion was pleased the caucus votes Thursday played out in the open.

“Given the impact of the vote for leadership, the public should have a window into what’s happening,” Marion said. “It’s healthy that these debates are happening in public.”

The four Senate Republicans caucused Wednesday night, reelecting Sen. Jessica de la Cruz as minority leader and Gordon Rogers as minority whip, according to Brandon Bell, the Senate Republicans’ chief of staff. 

House Republicans announced results of their 10-person caucus Thursday, affirming Rep. Mike Chippendale as minority leader and David Place as minority whip.

House Democrats will hold their leadership caucus at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Spain Restaurant in Cranston. The elections are also open to the public, though no challenges are expected to House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski.

The Rhode Island General Assembly is expected to reconvene on Jan. 7.

The 38-member Senate is slated to include 31 Democrats and four Republicans, while the 75-member House features 64 Democrats, 10 Republicans and one independent. 

However, question marks linger in two races, where trailing candidates have requested recounts from the Rhode Island Board of Elections. Preliminary election results late Wednesday showed Democratic challenger Peter Appollonio leading Republican Sen. Anthony DeLuca by 67 votes in Warwick Senate District 26. In Cranston’s House District 15, Republican Chris Paplauskas held a 31-vote lead over Democrat Maria Bucci.