PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Incumbent Democratic Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos secured another term in office, defeating Republican challenger John Loughlin.
Victory Speech in Providence
Addressing a standing-room-only crowd of supporters gathered at The Graduate hotel in downtown Providence, Matos took the stage flanked by family and community members to claim victory. Opening her speech in Spanish, she thanked voters across the state.
“This campaign was powered by labor and people. We knew all along this campaign was going to be an uphill battle, but tonight we learned that hard work and all of those late nights really pay off,” Matos told the crowd. Reflecting on her path in public office, she added, “It doesn’t matter how long you spend in elected office, or you spend in public office, you always feel like an outsider. But that’s OK. My campaign was built on the outsiders.”
In her remarks, Matos criticized federal immigration enforcement actions and spoke against proposed federal cuts to food assistance and healthcare programs. She also expressed gratitude to Loughlin for his candidacy and service.
The Concession
Speaking to supporters at a watch party at the Loom Hotel, Loughlin conceded the race shortly before 9:00 p.m.
“We did our best,” said Loughlin, a former state representative and military veteran. “The outcome is not what we expected, but we did our best… We got a lot of serious problems to solve here in Rhode Island, and we wish [Matos] well.”
Campaign Background
Matos, who previously represented Ward 15 on the Providence City Council and served as council president before her appointment as Lieutenant Governor in 2021, campaigned heavily on labor support and local coalition building. The general election contest followed a competitive five-way Democratic primary in September.
Loughlin’s platform focused on government transparency, including proposals to establish an independent Inspector General. Campaign debate in the closing weeks centered on the scope of the lieutenant governor’s constitutional duties as well as campaign finance disclosures.
What began as a promising congressional bid for Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos in the summer of 2023 quickly derailed following a statewide scandal involving forged nomination signatures—an investigation that ultimately led state prosecutors to file criminal charges against campaign personnel.
The Nomination Crisis
In July 2023, Matos was considered the Democratic front-runner to succeed outgoing U.S. Rep. David Cicilline in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District. However, the campaign hit immediate turbulence when election officials in Jamestown flagged multiple dead people and forged names on Matos’ nomination papers submitted to qualify for the primary ballot.
The discrepancies quickly expanded beyond Jamestown, with local canvassers in Barrington, East Providence, and Newport finding similar patterns of fraudulent signatures. The Rhode Island Board of Elections launched a full review, while Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office took over a criminal investigation into the campaign’s signature-gathering vendors. Although Matos retained enough valid signatures to remain on the ballot, the fallout severely damaged her momentum, and she finished third in the September Democratic primary.
Criminal Charges Filed
Following a months-long investigation by the Attorney General’s office, state prosecutors brought criminal charges against two campaign workers hired to collect signatures:
-
Two Felony Counts & Two Misdemeanor Counts (April 2024): Prosecutors charged Christopher Cotham, a campaign worker from Johnston, R.I., with two felony counts of falsely making nomination papers and two misdemeanor counts of submitting false nomination papers to election officials.
-
Additional Indictment (May 2024): A month later, prosecutors indicted a second individual, Providence resident Sarahi Silva, on similar charges involving falsified nomination signatures during the 2023 special election.
Neither Matos nor her core administrative staff were accused of direct personal involvement by prosecutors, though Matos faced heavy public criticism over campaign oversight. Following the completion of court proceedings in Providence County Superior Court, both defendants subsequently resolved their criminal cases through plea agreements and sentences of probation.
