Welcome to the Monday, April 28, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- We’re breaking down how states fill vacancies in state legislatures following the death of Rhode Island’s Senate President
- Republican Party committees lead in cumulative fundraising through March 31
- Did you know that states held an average of 66 state legislative special elections between 2010 and 2024?
We’re breaking down how states fill vacancies in state legislatures following the death of Rhode Island’s Senate President
On April 21, Rhode Island Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D)—the longest-serving legislator in the state’s history—died at 76. As a result, District 4 voters will elect a new senator in a special election, and senators will elect a new Senate president. Today, we’ll break down both processes and examine how Ruggerio’s tenure in the chamber compares to other legislators’ tenures nationwide.
Let’s start with a look at Ruggerio’s role as Senate president and his tenure in the chamber.
According to the Associated Press’ Kathy McCormack, Ruggerio served nearly 44 years in the Rhode Island General Assembly, four of which were in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
According to PBS Wisconsin’s Will Kenneally, the longest-serving state legislator in any state in U.S. history is Fred Risser (D). He served a combined 64 years in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate, from 1956 to 2021.
Ruggerio served as Senate president from 2017 to his death. According to The Hill’s Sarah Polus, Thomas Miller (D) is the longest-serving Senate president in U.S. history. He served as Maryland Senate president from 1987 to 2019—a total of 32 years.
Generally, senate presidents preside over legislative sessions and ensure senators abide by procedural rules. In 26 states, the lieutenant governor serves as the senate president, while a senator assumes the role of president pro tempore. In the 24 other states, such as Rhode Island, senators elect a senate president.
Previously, Rhode Island’s lieutenant governor presided over the Senate. However, Rhode Island voters approved a 1994 ballot measure 52% to 48%. That measure adopted the current process of selecting a president from among the chamber’s members, which started in 2003.
Now, let’s look at the process of filling vacancies in the District and in the Senate leadership.
In Rhode Island, the Senate majority leader traditionally becomes president if the position becomes vacant—as Ruggerio did in 2017. The current majority leader is Valarie Lawson (D), who represents District 14. According to the Providence Journal’s Katherine Gregg and Patrick Anderson, other possible candidates include Frank Ciccone (D) of District 7, Matthew LaMountain (D) of District 31, and Jake Bissaillon (D) of District 1.
The Senate paused business following Ruggerio’s death. The Senate is expected to select a new president when it returns from hiatus.
Rhode Island is one of 25 states that fill vacancies in the state legislature through special elections. Twenty-one states fill vacancies through appointments, and four use a hybrid system that uses both appointments and special elections.
In Rhode Island, the secretary of state must schedule an election 70 to 90 days after the vacancy occurs. The secretary of state cannot schedule an election if the vacancy occurs after the first Monday in February during an election year. The person elected to fill the vacancy serves for the remainder of the term. As of April 24, the secretary of state has not called a special election.
So far this year, 19 states have scheduled 53 special elections. From 2010 to 2024, nine legislative special elections have taken place in Rhode Island.
For a deep dive into what happens in state legislatures when there’s a vacancy, click here.
Republican Party committees lead in cumulative fundraising through March 31
According to the most recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports, the three main Democratic Party fundraising committees have raised a cumulative $96 million and spent $89 million in the 2026 election cycle. The three committees associated with the Republican Party have raised $113 million and spent $75 million.
The three Democratic committees are the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). The three Republican committees are the Republican National Committee (RNC), the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
As of March 31, the DCCC leads the NRCC in cumulative receipts, disbursements, and cash on hand. The RNC leads the DNC in cash on hand and receipts, while the DNC leads in disbursements. The NRSC leads the DSCC in receipts and disbursements, while the DSCC leads in cash on hand.
On the Democratic side, the $96 million the three committees raised as of March 2025 is less than the $105 million they raised as of March 2021. However, Democrats are ahead of their March 2023 fundraising of $81 million.
On the Republican side, the $113 million that the three committees raised as of March 2025 is more than the $66 million they had raised as of March 2023 and more than the $101 million they had raised as of March 2021.
Click here for more information about party committee fundraising.
Did you know that states held an average of 66 state legislative special elections between 2010 and 2024?
There are 7,386 state representatives and senators in the country. However, some of those legislators leave office early. The reasons vary, but the most common are death, resignation, and accepting an appointment or election to a different office. When lawmakers leave office early, states follow a process for finding someone new to represent their districts. Although states have different approaches to filling vacancies, as discussed in our story above on the late Rhode Island Sen. Dominick Ruggerio (D), half do so through special elections.
Between 2010 and 2024, states called 1,007 state legislative special elections—an average of 66 each year. So far this year, 19 states have scheduled 53 special elections.
Click here to read more about state legislative special elections.