The elections come after announcements from former Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) that they would resign from their seats. Cicilline stepped down in June, while Stewart plans to leave later this month, both after having served a decade in Congress.
Cicilline left his position to become president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, while Stewart cited his wife’s health issues as the reason why he needed to retire from his seat.
The races are happening in Rhode Island’s 1st and Utah’s 2nd congressional district, which are solidly blue and red districts, respectively. The winners of the Democratic primary in Rhode Island and GOP primary in Utah will likely be elected in the general elections in November.
More than half a dozen Democrats are running for Cicilline’s seat in Rhode Island. Some of the most notable candidates include Rhode Island Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, former state Rep. Aaron Regunberg and Gabe Amo, a former Biden administration staffer.
Matos has garnered endorsements from several House members and notable Democratic groups like EMILY’s List and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, while Regunberg has the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and several more progressive House members and organizations.
In Utah, a few Republicans are competing for the nomination — former Stewart staffer Celeste Maloy, former Republican National Committee representative Bruce Hough and former state Rep. Becky Edwards. Stewart has endorsed Maloy for the seat.
