With promises of austerity and questions about his health, Dominick Ruggerio wins Caucus support to continue as Senate President

Speaking about the budget, the Senate President said, "...it’s going to take sacrifice ... and obviously we can’t start any new programs. So that’s basically it.”

Nov 08, 2024

Senator Dominick Ruggerio’s most interesting remarks after his Caucus endorsed him for another two-year term as Senate President were not included in the “full” remarks sent out in the official press release1. Speaking about the budget and jumping off his prepared remarks, the Senate President said, “I know this will be a difficult session because we do not have the revenue that we had previously, but I think that if we work hard, we can get over the hump, but it’s going to take sacrifice, and it’s going to take everything we have going for it, and obviously we can’t start any new programs. So that’s basically it.”

It will be interesting to see what group of Rhode Islanders is chosen to suffer the brunt of the “sacrifice” under the promised austerity.

Members of the 2025-2026 Senate Democratic Caucus met on Thursday at the Waterman Grill2 in Providence and, after a long, combative parliamentary battle, voted to endorse Senator Dominick Ruggerio for another term as Senate President. This was an endorsement only. The Senate President is elected by all members, including Republicans, on the first day of the new legislative session in January.

The Caucus also elected Senator Valarie Lawson as their Majority Leader. Speaking to her colleagues at the Caucus, Senator Lawson (District 14, East Providence) said, “I am deeply humbled by your support, and I will work each day to the best of my ability to live up to the responsibility.”

The Caucus was open to reporters, which despite statements of the Senate always being open and transparent, is a relatively rare event. The Caucus revealed deep rifts among Senate Democrats. Though the majority of Senators seemed to fall in line with the Senate President loyalists, including every newly elected Senate Democrat, there was a group of between nine and 12 Senators, mostly progressives, pushing for changes and new leadership.

You can watch the video here:

The first hour of the Caucus meeting, as can be seen in the video above, was consumed by now-former Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson efforts to oust Senate President Ruggerio. In a whirl of points of order and deep dives into the weeds of parliamentary proceedings, the Democratic Senators in support of Senator Ruggerio, seemingly led by Senators Louis DiPalma and Matthew LaMountain, successfully battled to prevent Senator Pearson from using the rules and procedure in his bid.

At the heart of the debate was a call for secret ballots rather than a roll call vote. Supporters of Senator Pearson felt that a roll call vote would potentially open them up for retribution aby the Senate President if they voted against him. Senator Linda Ujifusa motioned an amendment to the rules to hold a secret ballot.

Senator LaMountain: What is the logic and reason behind having a secret ballot and also requesting a roll call vote for such an amendment?

Senator Ujifusa: It's because the votes for Senate President and Majority Leader, when they're in the open, subject my colleagues and myself to potential retribution. I understand if you do not feel that that is true, then vote it down. I think that we all have the right to know how you feel about [secret vs. open ballots].

Senator Jonathan Acosta: One of my colleagues noted that we are changing the dynamics of the Senate and I will acknowledge that if we [compare] what the Senate looked like in 2002 to what it looks like today in 2024, the dynamic has changed. We have more women, we have more people of color. As a student of Latino politics in this state, I can tell you that from the early 1990s, when [Latinos] first stepped foot in the State House, we have faced the kind of retribution and retaliation that my colleague is talking about. Maybe some of my colleagues don't have anything to fear, but I understand why some of us would and will support people in standing together. Now, if there's any fear about a public vote, we all know that in January we will be clicking either a red or a green button for a vote. So you'll have your day with the public.

Senator LaMountain: With all due respect, we strive to be open and transparent in the Senate and in the General Assembly as a whole. I find it concerning that no one in this room that was here two years ago made this motion... I find that highly troubling in that ... certain individuals want to ... suppress the public and our colleagues from knowing where we stand. We should be able to bring us together and move forward as a Senate together. At the end of the day, that should be our goal and we need to move forward together in a public, open, and transparent way.

Senator Tiara Mack: I'd like to thank my colleagues for their comments about openness and transparency, but unfortunately that same call has not been answered. When reached out via email after we were informed that a caucus had been called by a majority of the senators, I requested that letter on November 1st from the Chief of Staff of the Senate President and to his secretary and did not receive that letter. That is not open and transparent. That is a double standard. Please do not call us to practice that transparency when that same graciousness has not been given to us when requested of the Chief of Staff of the Senate president and his secretary. Where is that letter and why? Between November 1st, when requested, and now, when the caucus has apparently been called by the majority, that list has not been released.

I would like to see that letter to know who has called this caucus and to also get more transparency into which of my colleagues do not believe that our rules as written are worth following. We're creating a lot of new rules here today, and we're creating a lot of new precedent that is [meant] to intimidate and to further steamroll the voices of people who have clearly come together and said that we want to have more openness and more transparency. Next's leadership is going into a fiscal year where we face a budget deficit and where we could see more and more Rhode Islanders facing hardships. This is serious business. So can we please get the copy of the letter of the majority of senators?

Senator Dawn Euer: When I first chaired the opening day of the session, there was a lengthy discussion leading up to that about whether or not there would be a secret ballot or a public vote. At that time really thought it made a lot of sense [for the vote to] be public. But the engagement and vitriol this evening and the engagement leading up to tonight's conversation is why I have changed my position on this. I've worked with people in this room for seven years. We all work very hard and we give up a lot to be here. The fact that there couldn't be a coming together prior to this to agree on an agenda, to agree on a handful of rules that could be a dispute, quite frankly, has steeled me about wanting to move to different leadership. You in this room who are voting tonight, you all know the conversations that you've had and the innuendos that were thrown up your way, because members came to me concerned about the conversations and the not so veiled threats that were given to them to even have a conversation, to even have a conversation

Senator LaMountain: Point of order, not germane to the motion.

Senator Euer: So with that, I urge us to accept this amendment.

After the Caucus meeting was over reporters spoke with Senators Pearson and Euer, who framed their opposition to Senator Ruggerio as a concern about his health and his ability to lead the Senate going forward.

Steve Ahlquist: Senator Euer, are you looking forward to being the Chair of Senate Judiciary again this year?

Senator Euer: I would love to continue to serve... I raised the concerns because of my concern about [the Senate President's] health and his ability to be present in the Senate and available to members because leadership doesn't work when you have members who are worried about calling him because they don't want to bother him because they're human and they don't want to bother somebody who's sick. I think that breaks down communication channels and that's what I've seen over the past year and a half because he's been dealing with a lengthy illness and the explanation of that have transitioned over time.

Patrick Anderson, reporter: Did anything the President said today change or alleviate any of your concerns?

Senator Euer: I think that the assertion has been made that his doctors have said that he's in better health, but I would love to see a doctor's note.

Senator Pearson: Many of the things that we have been told as senators for the last year and a half [is that] “He'll be better next week. He'll be better next month. We'll be back next month.” A group of us don't believe that anymore. I hope that is true, but I think we need to be clear on the health of our Senate President and be able to make sure that this institution can work for the people of Rhode Island. And it has not been working the people of Rhode Island. It has not been working for senators.

Ian Donnis, reporter: There was some very sharp debate tonight. Does that show that the Senate remains very fractured about this question of the Senate President's health?

Senator Pearson: I believe that is true. A lot of senators have compassion as we all do as humans. And that is important. And that is why I think you saw some of the senators not say anything, but I believe that the majority of senators have concerns. A majority of senators have seen legislation fail. A majority of senators have seen the institution not function. What you saw tonight was some of those senators being willing to pop their head up and say it publicly [while] others are waiting for this to play out a little bit further. But this is one vote. There's another vote in January. I think in order for the President to maintain the support that he has tonight, he's going to have to continue meeting with senators, laying out a plan and making them believe that this is going to be different in January. Obviously this Caucus was call very quickly. That was intentional, but there are multiple months here and I think the Senate President needs to prove that he's capable and ready to lead the Chamber in January.

Here’s the full interview with Senators Pearson and Euer:

Some notes:

Senator Samuel Bell was opposed to the efforts of those in support of Ryan Pearson, but voted did not vote for Senator Ruggerio.
In the end, nine Senators voted for Pearson - Senators Acosta, DiMario, Euer, Kallman, Mack, Pearson, Quezada, Ujifusa, and Valverde. Senator Bell abstained and Senator Lauria voted “present.” Senator Raptakis, who was not present, voted for Ruggerio as did all other Democratic Senators.
Much of the meeting concerned what rules were guiding the Caucus. As I understand it, previous caucuses adopted new rules and admitted new members on the first vote. New members, led by Senator Jacob Bissaillon, and supported by the Senators in support of Ruggerio, knew that all the new Senators were in support of Ruggerio and represented a powerful voting block, so they pushed to have the new members admitted before the rules were adopted.
The selection of Senator Valerie Lwson as Majority Leader was much less contested.
A lot happened at this meeting, and you could analyze this in a myriad of ways. What I didn’t get into could be an additional ten pieces.

Here are the Senate President’s full remarks, transcribed and lightly edited:

“That was interesting. I haven’t been through anything like that [before]. I think it’s an interesting process for the government. Thank you, David and Melissa, for nominating me and all of my colleagues. It is truly humbling to receive the endorsement of this Caucus to serve another term as your Senate president.

“I have tremendous respect and admiration for everyone in this room. I think it takes a lot to run for office, never mind going through what you go through every time you go up that State House. So thank you very much. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you for everything you do.

“Members of this Chamber are leaders of excellence and dedication. Each of you is committed to making our State an even greater place to live and work. I am honored to serve alongside all of you. I also want to join in welcoming our new members to the Chamber. Congratulations to them and all of you on your election victories, and I look forward to working with you.

“It is no secret that I’ve had a challenging spring and summer. I want to thank all of you for your concern and encouragement during that process. Your kindness has been overwhelming.

“To say that I have been heartened by the outpourings of support I received would be an understatement. It has been overwhelming, and I deeply appreciate it.

“I’m feeling much better, though, and each day, I get a little stronger on my journey to a full recovery. I also know the past month has not been easy on any of you. Thank you for your patience throughout this process.

“Now, the elections are behind us. For the sake of our beloved Senate institution and the sake of our constituents, it’s time to move past our differences and come together to work on many issues facing our estate. No one has a monopoly on good ideas. I look forward to working with all of you, all the leaders in this room, to strengthen our State.

“I want to highlight some of the areas we are focused on going into the 2025 year session. Last year, this chamber led the way in addressing our healthcare crisis. While much was done, consider the work that remains. The chief focus for us remains requiring the rate review process, particularly for primary care providers. As Senator Pam Lauria and others have noted, even primary care providers are having difficulty finding individuals to help them. The commission was sponsored by Senator Susan Sosnoski, who is also a member and is being shared by Senator Lauria.

“Additionally, the work of the commission examining the primary care provider workforce is well underway. As part of its mission, the commission is examining the feasibility of establishing a medical school at URI.

We need to ensure that private insurance reimbursement rates are not lower than the Medicaid rate and that consumers receive the total value of prescription drug assistance to afford their treatments, as Senator Robert Britto proposed in legislation that was part of the Senate’s Rhode Island Health Initiative last season.

“We must find an appropriate permanent revenue stream to fund the psychiatric resource program, which treats children and new parents, and graduate students who perform services should be entitled to Medicaid reimbursement as proposed by Senator Alana DiMario.

“The Senate will also continue to lead on environmental issues. The Plastic Waste Commission is conducting its work under Senator Mark McKinney’s chairmanship, and Senator Zurier is proposing a new commission to monitor the implementation of the Act on Climate. We will push to fully fund the EC4, the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council so that it can do its vital work, and our efforts will continue as we work to reform and improve the Coastal Resources Management Council.

“The final area I want to touch upon this evening is the budget. We’re expecting a tighter budget cycle than we have experienced in the past several years. It is important that we maintain the initiatives fought for by the members of this chamber and relied upon by Rhode Islanders ane continue to work for initiatives and investments that improve our economic competitiveness. We have been through difficult budget timre, and these goals are possible. Rhode Island residents and businesses depend upon the relief we have provided in recent years - from the elimination of the car tax to the new tangible tax exemption championed by Senator Melissa Murray.

“At the same time, we need to continue investing in job training and improving our career pathways, such as through Senator Hannah Gallo’s CTE Pipeline legislation. We will also work to enact legislation that protects consumers, including the enactment of Senator Linda Ujifusa’s junk fee bill.

“In closing, I want to offer heartfelt congratulations to our new majority leader, Val Lawson. You are a dedicated and principled leader who will help advance the priorities of all the members of this Chamber. I look forward to working alongside you and all the members of our chamber as a strong and united Senate in the upcoming session.

“I know this will be a difficult session because we do not have the revenue that we had previously, but I think that if we work hard, we can get over the hump, but it’s going to take sacrifice, and it’s going to take everything we have going for it, and obviously we can’t start any new programs. So that’s basically it.

“I want to thank the new people for their support. I also want to thank the people I’ve worked with in the past, and I want to continue to work with those individuals I’ve worked with over a long period of time.

“You’ll find that I will be much more available than I have been in the past couple of months. So I want to thank you. I want to thank you for your support. I want to thank you for everything you do, and as I say all the time, if I can be of assistance to you, my door is right down the hall. I also have an invention called the telephone, which you can utilize. As I said, I look forward to working with everyone here, and I think the Senate will be like it has been, and it has been very successful. Thank you all for coming this evening. I think we’re having dinner tonight, so enjoy dinner.”