Democratic socialist defeats Providence incumbent mayor in primary, September 10

David Morales, a 27-year-old Democratic Socialists of America member and Rhode Island state representative, won the Democratic primary for Providence mayor on Wednesday night, defeating incumbent Brett Smiley. According to the Guardian, Morales ran on a platform pledging to cap annual rent hikes, build affordable housing, and raise taxes on corporate polluters and landlords. Smiley was ousted after one term, having vetoed a rent-stabilization ordinance in April that the city council had passed. In his victory speech, per the Guardian, Morales stated: "Few believed that a 27-year-old democratic socialist could ever, few believed that we could ever take on big money, corporate real estate interests and endless attack ads, and we took them on and we won." Morales pledged specifically to cap rent increases at 4% annually. During his tenure, Smiley faced scrutiny for implementing the city's largest property tax increase in a decade and for his continued support for Israel, according to the Guardian. The Guardian reports that Morales received endorsements from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and from the Democratic Socialists of America. If Morales wins the November general election, the Guardian states he would be the youngest mayor Providence has ever had. He is favored to secure the mayoralty against Republican nominee 77-year-old David Talan, per the Guardian. Morales' victory in Providence reflects a broader pattern the Guardian reports: Democratic socialists have won mayoral races in New York City (Zohran Mamdani, elected November 2025) and Seattle (Katie Wilson currently in office), with Janeese Lewis George set to follow in Washington DC. The Guardian also reports DSA-aligned candidates have won in primaries in Michigan, Florida, Colorado, New York, and Pennsylvania. Morales himself made history at age 22, according to the Guardian, when elected to the Rhode Island house of representatives; the outlet reports he became the youngest Latino ever elected to a U.S. state legislature. The Guardian also reports Morales is a part-time professional wrestler and was born in Soledad, California. On the same day as the Providence primary, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that its Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island observed polling locations in Pawtucket as part of midterm primary monitoring efforts.