People show their support for state Senate candidate Allyn Meyers outside a polling place on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Bristol, R.I. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Democrats held on to both U.S. House seats in Rhode Island in Tuesday’s election.

In the 1st Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, the first Black representative in Congress from Rhode Island, easily beat his Republican challenger Allen Waters. In the 2nd Congressional District, Rep. Seth Magaziner, the former state treasurer in Rhode Island, defeated Republican Steve Corvi.

Amo promised to work on ending gun violence to supporting reproductive freedom, as well as fighting to protect Social Security and Medicare. He said that he was honored to have been “overwhelmingly elected” by voters to serve “as their voice in Washington.”

“During my first year in office, I’m proud of what we have accomplished to positively impact the lives of my constituents,” he said in a statement. “There is work to do to continue to lower costs, deliver economic opportunities for Rhode Island families, and protect our freedoms.”

Waters campaigned on his support for gun rights, ending government-backed student loans for college and a promise to “clean up the swamp of poorly managed government departments” like the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Magaziner, the former state treasurer in Rhode Island, won a second term.

He defeated Corvi, who was making his first run for political office and has been vastly outspent. In 2022, Magaziner won the seat vacated by longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, who retired after two decades representing the district.

Magaziner, the son of former Clinton administration policy adviser Ira Magaziner, said he was “honored by the trust and confidence” voters in the 2nd Congressional District had placed in him.

“As I return to Washington, I remain committed to fighting for the priorities that matter most to Rhode Islanders; protecting Social Security and Medicare, cutting costs for working people, protecting the Affordable Care Act, enacting common-sense gun safety legislation, and defending women’s right to choose,” Magaziner said in a statement.

During the campaign, Corvi highlighted the fact he was an “average American” who has no prior political experience and no connections. An adjunct university professor who specializes in British and American military history, Corvi campaigned for what he called a merit-based immigration system, support for Israel and policies that grow the economy.

On Tuesday night, Corvi thanked his supporters and said he got into the race because he believes “something needs to change in our state." By running for the House seat, he said “we made our voices heard.”

“We always knew this was going to be an uphill battle," Corvi said in a statement. "While tonight’s outcome isn’t what we all hoped for, I’m incredibly proud of what we built and the conversations we sparked.”

Last year, Amo beat out a crowded field in a special election to replace Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, who stepped down to lead a nonprofit foundation. The son of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants, Amo has worked as a senior adviser to President Joe Biden. He previously worked in state government and in the White House during the Obama administration.

Amo went to Wheaton College and studied public policy at Oxford University, and he has said he was inspired by his parents’ drive. His mother studied nursing and his father opened a liquor store in part so he could be his own boss.

News from © The Associated Press, 2024