Providence Mayor Falls to Democratic Socialist in Primary Upset

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley lost his bid for a second term Tuesday night, defeated in the Democratic primary by state Rep. David Morales, a Bernie Sanders-endorsed democratic socialist.

Morales, 27, prevailed over the incumbent in a result that marks a first for Providence: no sitting mayor of the city had ever previously failed to secure their party's nomination for reelection.

Morales built his campaign around rent caps, affordable housing expansion and new taxes on corporate landlords, tapping into progressive energy that has powered a wave of primary challenges to incumbents this cycle. Smiley, for his part, had leaned on public safety attacks against his challenger down the stretch, while Morales picked up the backing of the Providence Teachers Union.

Smiley's defeat wasn't the only incumbent casualty on the ballot. Gov. Dan McKee also lost his primary to Helena Foulkes the same night, the last time a Rhode Island governor lost renomination was in 1994, when Bruce Sundlun fell to Myrth York.

The Providence result adds to a string of local, state and federal wins for candidates aligned with the democratic socialist movement, including in New York City, Washington, D.C., Colorado, Michigan and Florida.

With no organized Republican primary in the heavily Democratic city, Morales now heads toward a November general election as the presumptive favorite.