In just five days, Warwick will decide who to send to Washington D.C., the State House and City Hall. And the city looks to be eager to do so, as it led the state in turnout with 8,863 early voters as of Monday, according to the Rhode Island Board of Elections.

The marquee race this year, of course, is the presidential election between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. In Congress, incumbent Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D) is seeking a fourth term against West Warwick Republican challenger Patricia Morgan, and Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner is facing off against Republican Steve Corvi.

Harris, Whitehouse and Magaziner are expected to carry both Warwick and the state (or in Magaziner’s case, the state’s Second Congressional District) without too much trouble.

 Locally, some races are expected to be much closer.

Two ‘battleground seats’ in the State House

While there won’t be much drama over the overall composure of the Rhode Island General Assembly – both chambers will retain Democratic supermajorities – two of Warwick’s races could come down to the wire.

Senate District 29 is the only city seat held by a Republican after Rep. Anthony DeLuca won it in 2022. After some Democrats supported DeLuca over party nominee Jennifer Rourke that year, the party’s apparatus is fully behind former police captain and current substitute teacher Peter Appollonio Jr.

Appollonio was the first candidate in the entire city to announce his run, doing so in January, and he has been campaigning since. In a primary against Rourke – one of the few primaries in the city – Appollonio won with 61% of the vote.

 DeLuca has highlighted his work on Senate committees in his reelection pitch, mentioning his work on the Judiciary Committee and the Commerce Committee as highlights of his first term. He’s largely been running on a platform highlighting his two areas of work – public safety and education.

The Warwick GOP has one major pickup opportunity in the city – House District 21, now represented by outgoing Democrat Camille Vella-Wilkinson. Marie Hopkins, who lost to Vella-Wilkinson by 38 votes in 2022, will face current City Councilman James McElroy.

Hopkins is also the only Republican who has outraised their Democratic opponent throughout the city, with $15,050 to McElroy’s $8,909. She’s made health care one of the major planks of her platform, even putting her profession – she is a nurse – on campaign signs throughout the city.

McElroy has represented Ward 4 on the City Council since 2018. He said his top priority if he’s elected to the General Assembly would be the state’s economy, and he said he was proud that Warwick had not had tax increases for most of his years on the council.

A third seat – House District 26, which grazes the western edge of Warwick – is also largely considered a toss-up. Three candidates are running to replace outgoing Rep. Patricia Morgan, who eschewed a reelection bid to run against Whitehouse – Democrat Earl Read III, Republican Jeffrey Fisher and independent Vincent Marzullo.

That race could have significant implications for the 2026 gubernatorial race, with Helena Foulkes – one of Gov. Dan McKee’s primary opponents in 2022 and his likely Democratic opposition in 2026 – announcing her support for Marzullo on Monday.

CNAlysis, a political prognostication site that provides forecasts of legislatures in each state, has all of these races within tossup range, though it considers McElroy, DeLuca and Read the slight favorites in each.

In addition to those seats, there are two 2022 rematches in the city – House District 22, where incumbent Democrat Joe Solomon Jr. faces Republican David Stone, and Senate District 31, between incumbent Democrat Matt LaMountain and Republican Lisa Morse.

Solomon and LaMountain are considered heavy favorites to win reelection, having won in 2022 by 12.4% and 23.5%, respectively.

Running for reelection uncontested are Sen. Mark McKenney, Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi and Representatives Joe McNamara, David Bennett and Evan Shanley, all Democrats.

Three mayoral candidates seek  first four-year term

Warwick’s top municipal post is headed for its four-year term in the city’s history.

The race for it, however, may look unusual to outsiders as incumbent independent Frank Picozzi, Democrat Leah Hazelwood and independent Patrick Maloney Jr. vie for the corner office.

Throughout the campaign, Picozzi has touted his record as mayor, saying that he had wisely used money given to the city through the American Rescue Plan Act and improved the city’s quality of life without becoming reliant on the funds.

Picozzi also has a major money advantage, with $92,260 left in campaign funds.

Hazelwood, the current vice chair of the Warwick School Committee, has emphasized service throughout her campaign, saying that she was hoping to foster a sense of unity.

Maloney has taken an outsider tack, emphasizing his independent label. He has emphasized his opposition to the project to build new Pilgrim and Toll Gate high schools, arguing that the city can’t afford two and needs only one new high school.

The three candidates do share one bit of background – experience on the Warwick School Committee.

Six races as four council members bow out

After 2022’s election saw all nine City Council members run for – and win – reelection, 2024 promises quite the opposite.

Four council members – Tim Howe, Jim McElroy, Donna Travis and Council President Steve McAllister – decided not to seek reelection this year, with McElroy running for higher office and the other three retiring from politics.

In 2022, only two incumbent councilmen faced reelection challenges: McElroy and Ward 1’s William Foley. This year, only three council members are running unopposed for reelection – Foley, Ward 8’s Anthony Sinapi and Ward 9’s Vincent Gebhart.

One constant in each of the six contested races is the presence of a Democratic candidate. Only half of those races, however, have a Republican, with the other three seeing independents hoping to take more seats in the city.

In Ward 2, incumbent Councilman Jeremy Rix is facing Republican Bill Paola. Rix, seeking a fifth term, said he wants to improve the city’s long-term planning. Paola, a Fairfax Drive resident, said his top priority on the council would be making sure the road, which connects Post Road to Pilgrim High School, is safe for the community to use.

Ward 3’s race features Democrat Bryan Nappa, a lawyer endorsed by Howe who has said his top priorities include making sure city services run smoothly. On the Republican side, former party chair Rick Cascella is hoping to deliver his party a seat on the City Council, which he believes is critical for the city.

In Ward 4, unusual circumstances have changed the face of the race, as the Democratic Party’s original candidate, Mike Penta, announced after the primary election that he was moving to East Greenwich and suspending his campaign. Running instead as a Democrat is Salvatore DeLuise, who will face independent candidate Joanne Miller.

2022’s Ward 5 race ended before it began, as independent candidate Michael Koerner was ineligible for the ballot, though he was listed anyway. This time, however, Koerner has qualified for the ballot and will face Democratic incumbent Ed Ladouceur, who will become the council’s longest-tenured member if he wins.

In Ward 6, Democratic candidate William Muto is hoping to take the place of Travis, who has represented the ward since 2003. He’ll be going up against Republican Beth Lane Italiane, who is currently the best-funded GOP candidate for council.

Ward 7’s race is the only one in the city to draw three candidates, with independents Roger Ceresi and Jeffrey Chapdelaine both running for the seat. They’re going up against Democratic candidate Jack Kirby, who survived a three-way primary by 12 votes and is hoping to win elected office for the first time following failed runs for mayor and the State House.

School Committee sees  primary redux

As this is a presidential election cycle, the Warwick School Committee’s two citywide seats are up for election this year.

It wasn’t David Testa or Karen Bachus who finished September’s primary in the top spot, however. Instead, it was Sean Wiggins, the president of Warwick North Little League, who received 27.2% of the city’s votes. Testa finished in second place with 22.5%, Bachus finished in third with 19.1% and Colón finished in fourth with 18.6%. A fifth candidate – Anthony Corrente – was eliminated after finishing with 12.6% of the vote.

Though November’s ballot will look almost the same, the low turnout of September’s primary – which fell just shy of 10% of registered voters in Warwick – means Bachus and Zach Colón are not out of it yet.

Bachus, the School Committee’s longest-tenured member, said that she is hoping to start an alumni association to help connect students with Warwick Public Schools alumni who have achieved success in life.

Testa, chair of the School Building Committee, mentioned making sure the new Pilgrim and Toll Gate high schools will be built by the end of the next term as a priority. Both Testa and Bachus have served as chairs of the School Committee in the past.

Wiggins boasts the most cash on hand of any candidate by a wide margin, with $6,551. His top priority should he win, he said, would be improving special education in the city, noting that one of his children has an individualized education program.

Colón has touted his support for universal pre-K, noting that he has been critical of the Warwick Early Learning Center’s lottery system.

All four candidates are also in favor of moving forward with the project to build new Pilgrim and Toll Gate high schools, even if costs exceed the initial $350 million approved by voters in 2022.