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Former White House aide Gabe Amo is on track to become the first Black congressman to represent Rhode Island.
On Tuesday (September 5), Amo, the son of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants, won the Democratic primary for Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District in a special election, AP reports. The election came after former Democratic Rep. David Cicilline stepped down earlier this year to become the president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation.
“This primary election shows that Rhode Islanders believe in a state where one of their sons, the son of two West African immigrants from Ghana and Liberia, could receive the love and investment of a community and go from serving the president of the United States … to being the Democratic nominee for Congress for the 1st Congressional District,” Amo told his supporters following his win.
Amo previously worked for former President Barack Obama in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. He returned to the office under the Biden administration, acting as a liaison for the president to mayors and other local officials.
The former White House aide will face Republican Gerry Leonard in the general election, which is set for Nov. 7. Leonard will have an uphill battle defeating Amo as the state has traditionally favored Democratic candidates.
If elected, Amo pledged to address “some of the critical needs of this country,” including gun violence, climate change, Social Security, and reproductive freedom.
“At the end of the day, protecting people so that everyone has opportunity,” Amo said.
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