CUMBERLAND/LINCOLN – First elected to the Rhode Island Senate in 2012, Ryan Pearson is aiming to block a challenge by Jim Metivier in Wednesday’s Democratic primary election for Senate District 19, Cumberland and Lincoln.
Metivier, a Cumberland town councilman who previously ran as an independent, is running on a platform of having Democratic values and being an independent leader. He is denying suggestions that his alignment with the League of Rhode Island Businesses puts him with the MAGA movement.
Metivier said this week that people seem prepared for a change away from the status quo, and of the 10 percent of people who actually answer the door as he’s walking the district to convince them that he’s the right person for the job, most are indicating that to him.
He said he’s “not a MAGA,” is not part of the LORIB, and just because the group endorsed him, that doesn’t mean he’s in that category. He said he did not vote for Donald Trump.
Further, Metivier said, with the political action committees that have put so much money into Pearson’s campaign, he’s sure some connected to those have also donated to MAGA causes.
Metivier said he’s always campaigned on common sense. He said he was not recruited by LORIB, as Pearson suggests, and when he met with the group, all they asked him was whether he would follow the U.S. Constitution, and he found that to be a pretty easy yes.
Pearson scoffs at the idea that the group would donate $10,000 to someone who made only that simple promise. He said the group is tied to conservative operative Roger Stone and is intent on enacting conservative policies as part of the “MAGA right wing,” and is also subverting campaign finance rules to fund candidates. The only reason a group would donate $10,000 is if they believe someone would do their bidding, Pearson said, and Metivier has shown himself to be an anti-choice candidate who holds conservative Republican positions, while saying very little out loud. No one should believe someone who has teamed up with House District 57 candidate Jim McLaughlin, Pearson said, a man who was so aligned with the president that he wore Trump-themed socks to the Statehouse
Pearson defeated independent Amanda Blais in the general election for Senate 19 two years ago, finishing with a margin of 56.9 percent to 42.7 percent.
Metivier went unchallenged in the nonpartisan election for District 1 Town Council two years ago. As an independent in 2020, he defeated Democrat Jim Higgins as an independent, winning 63 percent of the vote.
Pearson has served in various leadership roles, including as Senate majority leader before being pushed out of that role after he made a move to replace the late former Senate President Dominick Ruggerio.
Metivier says Pearson is ineffective, misses a lot of sessions, and the only money he is getting is for himself, having no support from leadership.
Pearson retorted that the Senate remains closely divided, and the conservative wing of it has taken over. He said he was replaced by someone, Frank Ciccone, who opposed marriage equality, choice, and is a firearms dealer who is against every piece of gun safety legislation.
If the LORIB wants to get more Republicans elected, said Pearson, they should do so through typical channels, not trying to gain control through Democratic primaries.
That one vote on the leadership change means that every member now has more say in the Senate rather than it being lopsided one way, said Pearson. Whether he is majority leader or not, he said, he’s a “leader of that chamber where votes come with me,” and he guarantees that from day one, more senators will be working with him than would with his opponent. He said he has an understanding of the way the legislature works and what it takes to get things done, and continues to deliver.
Pearson emphasized that while business coalitions have tried to reverse the legislature’s move to prevent Rhode Island Energy from profiting on the energy itself, otherwise known as remuneration, they were able to kill the move.
Metiver, responding to comments on his lack of larger initiatives while on the council, said his favorite part of the job has been finding answers for individual constituents who reach out, and he will continue being that type of elected official. He said in terms of being a senator, he has some ideas, but he actually believes fewer bills are better, as there are too many regulations.
He cited the state’s accessory dwelling unit bill as one example of too many restrictions being placed on cities and towns, and the overreach of state government.
Asked if he would be able to develop a better relationship with leadership than Pearson has, he said he would work with everyone but also not be afraid to step out of line to do what he believes is right and stand up for his constituents.
Local communities don’t have the infrastructure capacity to be able to handle the eased development restrictions being mandated by the state, said Metivier, and there are more and more issues cropping up.
He also offered the Act on Climate as an example of overreach and a “virtue signal,” saying it didn’t have the desired effect and has pushed costs higher. He’s against all overregulation on businesses, he said, as well as on the truck tolls, which he said will be passed on to residents and the state seems too be completing road repairs without that revenue.
Rhode Island can’t keep voting for the same people and expecting different and better results, said Metivier. Hhe said many people don’t understand exactly why things are the way they are because they only get snippets within their bubble or particular algorithm, and many are responding positively when he explains it.
Metiver, 60, has been retired for five years from Amica. He said he now has more time for traveling and constituency work to help people.
Pearson, 38, is senior vice president of a local financial institution.
Asked if he’ll run again if he loses, Metivier said he would never say never. He said he’s been very encouraged by turnout, especially with mail ballots, and believes turnout should be similar to 2022 instead of 2024 when there wasn’t a lot of interest.
Pearson said he is consistently hearing from people that they know him and what he’s accomplished in the General Assembly, particularly on health care and education.
There is a clear picture in this race of someone with a record of getting things accomplished and someone who has not, Pearson said, noting that Metivier has never so much as offered a budget amendment. Metivier, he added, has been “a pretty quiet member of the council,” and hasn’t said much in the race either to offer details about what he’s worked on or what he wants to propose. He said there was one “pie-in-the-sky”. Mail piece from Metivier discussing the high costs of health care and energy, which everyone can agree with, but how is Metivier going to address them?
Many of the problems Metivier is suggesting he’ll tackle involve issues impacted negatively by the current presidential administration and the local group that backs it, Pearson said, including cuts in Medicaid under Trump and sky-high energy costs because of his wars. Mortgage rates are going up because of the administration’s interference in the bond market, he stated, and tariffs are also having a negative impact on costs and interest rates.
