Result
Rep. Brandon Voas (D-Cumberland) won a third term in Rhode Island House District 57 on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after no Republican or independent filed to run against him. His real test came in the Wednesday, Sept. 9 Democratic primary, where he beat former Rep. James McLaughlin (D) for the third election in a row.
Voas led McLaughlin 831 to 512, or about 61%, in the election-night count with ballots still coming in, The Valley Breezereported. Voas first unseated McLaughlin in the 2022 primary by 34 votes, then beat him again in 2024, 2,525 to 2,175, when McLaughlin ran as an independent, according to Rhode Island’s official 2024 results.
Candidates and Platforms
Voas, a lifelong Cumberland resident and parts director at a truck dealership, has been House deputy majority leader since 2025 and is second vice chair of the Small Business Committee. In his reelection announcement, he said his campaign would focus on affordability and accountability, including lower costs for residents and small businesses and continued work on utility costs.
McLaughlin, an 82-year-old Army veteran who held the seat from 2011 to 2023, ran on plans aimed at seniors and household costs, including a larger tax exemption for homeowners 65 and older. He also proposed moving state-mandated programs that are not energy costs off utility bills and sending more state aid to cities and towns.
District and Chamber
District 57 covers parts of Cumberland and Central Falls. Voas will be sworn in for his new two-year term on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027, according to Ballotpedia’s swearing-in calendar.
All 75 House seats were on the ballot this year, and Democrats won 64 of them in 2024. Republicans lost two of the 10 House seats they held going into Nov. 3, The Boston Globe reported.
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