By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Thursday morning!
Sure Democrats gained control of Congress in Tuesday’s election, but it’s not like the party will hold veto-proof margins when lawmakers return in early January.
Congressional leaders and the President Donald Trump are going to have to work on their ability to compromise on legislation, States Newsroom D.C. Bureau Senior Reporter Jennifer Shutt writes.
Thing will change, but like sea change kind of change?
Don’t expect a major shift in Rhode Island state government. Republicans failed to pick up any new seats in the General Assembly. Two incumbents in each chamber lost their races. Just 10 Republicans are left in the 113-member legislature, down from 14.
“Republicans were already a non-factor,” Adam Myers, Providence College associate professor of political science, tells Senior Reporter Nancy Lavin. “Essentially, now, they’re going to be even less of a factor.”
Both Nancy and Bill Bartholomew rose early the morning after the election to discuss the Rhode Island version of the blue wave with “Lively” moderator Jim Hummel on Ocean State Media. Listen here.
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High tide in Warwick is at 4:57 p.m. Low tide is at 10:41 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Sunrise is at 6:22 a.m. Sunset is at 4:35 p.m.
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The Rhode Island Senate has a special session starting at 4 p.m. to consider judicial appointments. They may include Judge Luis Matos for the Rhode Island Supreme Court, whose nomination letter the governor formally submitted Wednesday. The submission starts the statutory 60-day clock for both the House and Senate to act on the nomination.
The Special Legislative Commission to Study and Provide Recommendations Relating to Shared Services Between Rhode Island School Districts meets at 4 p.m.
The Providence City Council meets at 6 p.m.
Republicans five-term Sen. Thomas Paolino, left, deputy minority leader, of Lincoln, and six-term Sen. Elaine Morgan, right, of Hopkinton, now deputy minority whip, both lost their seats in the Rhode Island Senate to Democratic challengers in Tuesday’s election. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
Democratic dominance of the Rhode Island General Assembly deepened Tuesday night, after five incumbent lawmakers — four Republicans and one independent — were ousted by challengers from the left after the polls closed. The results leave just 10 Republicans in the 113-member legislature, down from 14.
Rhode Island’s congressional delegation — U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and U.S. Reps. Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo — expect to have a more prominent role in Congress as Democrats take control of both chambers. (Photos by Alexander Castro and Ken Castro/Rhode Island Current; collage by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
U.S. Reps. Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo are poised to find themselves among the more senior members of the House Democratic caucus next year when a large group of new Democrats arrives. The shift in Congressional power could be even more consequential for Rhode Island’s two senators. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed anticipates he will reclaim the chairmanship of the Senate Armed Services Committee, while US. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is expected to become chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Stuart Robinson, director of investigations for the Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General, left, and Steven Krueger, right, first assistant inspector general for the city of New Orleans, sit in the audience during interviews for Rhode Island’s first inspector general on Sept. 24, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
Gov. Dan McKee now has to choose between two finalists to become Rhode Island's first inspector general after a third candidate accepted another job on the West Coast. Stuart Robinson, one of three finalists recommended to McKee in September, withdrew from consideration Oct. 15, after being confirmed as first inspector general for King County, Washington. The county announced his appointment to a five-year term on Oct. 6.
People participate in a protest against the CoreWeave AI data center outside the municipal building on October 21, 2026, in Kenilworth. New Jersey. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
By Alex Brown | Stateline
In local elections across the country, Americans voted overwhelmingly to restrict the buildout of data centers in their communities. Late Tuesday evening, 33 ballot measures to restrict data centers were passed by voters or were leading in ongoing vote counts, according to the tracking website Data Centers on the Ballot. Roughly a dozen similar measures were on the ballot in communities where vote totals were still being counted. Only one North Dakota measure resulted in a victory for voters who supported data centers.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach speaks alongside President Donald Trump at a Nov. 1, 2026, rally in Salina, Kansas. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)
By Jonathan Shorman | D.C. Bureau
In a series of late-night interviews, President Donald Trump said he would accept the results of Tuesday’s election. He acknowledged that Democrats had performed well as they retook the House and Senate. And while he refused responsibility for Republicans’ newfound misfortune, he also spoke of cutting deals with Democrats.
ICYMI
Foulkes defeats Block and Guckian to win governor’s race | Nancy Lavin
Providence voters overwhelmingly approve divestment measure | Alexander Castro and Christopher Shea
Matos beats Loughlin to win another term as Rhode Island lieutenant governor | Alexander Castro
The election is over. What’s supposed to happen next for Congress? | Jennifer Shutt, D.C. Bureau
Democrats win majority of governorships for the first time in 16 years | Kevin Hardy, Stateline
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