By Ethan Shorey
LINCOLN – Nelly Burdette outshined incumbent District 17 Sen. Thomas Paolino and two other candidates to win the seat by a wide margin on Tuesday.
More than two candidates typically favors the incumbent, but the Democrat Burdette was able to win by nearly 5 percent over the five-term Republican incumbent, winning 4,819 votes, or 43.41 percent, to Paolino’s 4,318 votes, or 38.9 percent, 1,440 votes for independent Jina Petrarca, or 12.97 percent, and 518 votes for independent John Barr, or 4.67 percent.
“So thankful for the voters in the community, organizations endorsing me, and all of the volunteers who gave their time to help make the largest shift in Lincoln, North Smithfield and North Providence in 10 years,” said Burdette. “Thank you for your trust and I am honored to earn your vote as your next state senator.”
A psychologist and first-generation immigrant “bringing a front-line perspective to public service,” Burdette emphasizes that she’s not a career politician. She said she has spent the last two decades listening and helping people navigating healthcare, housing, and economic challenges, and is running to strengthen communities and support small businesses.
The chief clinical officer at the Care Transformation Collaborative of Rhode Island, Burdette frequently highlighted healthcare and housing as top issues for her campaign. She received numerous endorsements, including the Rhode Island Working Families Party.
Burdette had been sharply critical of Paolino for missing eight out of nine meetings of a Senate panel charged with studying primary care workforce solutions, including a new medical school at the University of Rhode Island.
