November 6, 2023
Gabe Amo Is Set to Become Rhode Island’s First Black Congressman
By Peter Lucas
Amo beat 10 other candidates in a contentious Democratic primary for the state’s first congressional district seat. “I’ve been running to make a difference, not to make history.”
(Jemal Countess / Getty)
Rhode Island has had 126 representatives and senators in Congress in its history. All have been white. Gabe Amo, a former Biden staffer and now Democratic nominee in a special election for the state’s first congressional district seat, is set to change that.
The son of African immigrants, Amo, who is Black, beat 10 other candidates in a contentious Democratic primary that featured prominent figures in state politics. In a deep-blue district, Amo is poised to comfortably beat Republican opponent Gerry Leonard on Tuesday and earn a seat vacated earlier this year by the resignation of 12-year House veteran David Ciciline.
“I don’t want my story of success to be mine alone,” Amo said in an interview with The Nation. “I’ve learned that the government can really, really impact lives and [doing] so at scale in Congress has always been something that the institution is capable of.”
