A Divided Rhode Island Senate Re-Elects Ruggerio as President

Dominick Ruggerio won re-election as president of the Rhode Island Senate Tuesday, as the General Assembly met for the first time in 2025, although almost a third of senators did not support Ruggerio amid ongoing questions about his health.

Ruggerio, 76, won another two-year term in one of the two top leadership positions on a 26-to-12 vote, with Sen. Sam Bell (D-Providence) abstaining and a dozen supporters of Sen. Ryan W. Pearson (D-Cumberland) responding “present” when asked for their vote.

The four Republicans in the 38-member Senate voted for Ruggerio.

In the House, Speaker Joe Shekarchi won re-election for another two-year term with 62 of 75 votes. The 10-member GOP caucus voted for Republican leader Mike Chippendale. Two absent Democrats indicated they would have supported Shekarchi, and one Democrat, Rep. Enrique Sanchez (D-Providence), abstained.

One of the top challenges facing the General Assembly this year is a more austere fiscal climate and an estimated $330 million deficit for the fiscal year starting July 1.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.