We proudly endorse Sabina Matos for the U.S. House to represent Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District.
Matos is currently the 70th Lieutenant Governor of the State of Rhode Island, serving in the office since April 14, 2021. She was most recently elected in November 2022 and is only the second woman to hold this post and the first woman of color. Additionally, she is the first Dominican American to hold the position of Lieutenant Governor in the United States.
If elected, she will be the first Black woman to represent Rhode Island in Congress.
Twelve candidates are running in the September 5, 2023, Democratic special primary for Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District. The candidate with the most votes will advance to the general election on November 7, 2023, to fill the seat previously held by David Cicilline. Cicilline resigned from Congres on June 1, to run the Rhode Island Foundation
As a community leader, President of the Providence City Council, and now as Rhode Island’s Lieutenant Governor, Sabina Matos has a well-earned reputation for getting things done. From her work to lower costs and make housing more affordable, to working to reduce gun violence and make our communities safer, to defending reproductive rights and our personal freedoms. We need her leadership in Congress to get things done for Rhode Island.
Like many Rhode Islanders, Sabina knows what it’s like to work hard and, at times, struggle to make ends meet. Immigrating to the United States from the Dominican Republic at the age of 20 and determined to secure the American dream, Sabina worked at a clothing factory before moving to Providence – where she learned English while working in a jewelry factory.
Sabina graduated from Rhode Island College, and became deeply involved in her community working to do something about the high cost of housing. In 2010 as a young mom, Sabina ran for and was elected to the Providence City Council. During her campaign, Sabina remembers being asked why a mom with young kids would run for office. Her response: “Why not?”
Sabina served 10 years on the Council, championing an agenda to make life better for all of us. Her initiatives took direct aim at the barriers facing Providence households: building housing that hard-working Rhode Islanders can afford, supporting women leaders, and protecting reproductive freedom.
Since 2021, Sabina has served as Rhode Island’s Lieutenant Governor, where she’s advocated to expand voting rights and for stronger gun safety legislation to protect our communities. She’s worked closely with the McKee Administration to make historic investments in addressing our climate crisis and affordable housing and been a consistent champion for women and to protect reproductive freedom.
Sabina and her husband live in Providence with their two children.