EAST PROVIDENCE — Voters in East Providence who headed to the polls for the 2024 Primary Election Tuesday, Sept. 10, didn't really have to put in much effort as only two races involving city pols had meaningful outcomes in the balance.

None of the five East Providence School Committee seats were up for grabs. And just two of those, in Wards 1 and 4, will actually have any race at all come November.

The two active local contests Tuesday were for General Assembly seats — State Senate District 14 and State House of Representatives District 64 — those proved to be blowouts for the eventual victors.

Four-term incumbent Valerie Lawson, her party's Majority Whip in the upper chamber and primaried by former City Councilor and State Representative Brian Coogan for the State Senate Democratic nomination, crushed her opponent. With all 17 of 17 polling stations reporting, Lawson had 1,536 votes or 75.4% to just 501 and a meager 24.6% for Coogan.

"I am very grateful to the voters of East Providence for their continued confidence in me," Lawson said Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 10. "I look forward to the opportunity to continue to advocate strongly on behalf of our community."

The other primary was for the Democratic nomination for the House 64 seat being vacated by two-term incumbent Brianna Henries. Jenni Azanero Furtado and Ashley Pereira vied for the nomination. Furtado, the current East Providence School Committee chair, won decisively with the same 17 of 17 stations reporting, 511-197 or 72.2%-27.8%.

The winners are done for the 2024 election as neither has a Republican opponent. In fact, of the city's seven Assembly seats only one is headed to the November General. House District 66 incumbent Democrat Jennifer Boylan is being challenged by Republican Janine Wolf. Tuesday, Boylan received 284 votes and Wolf 77 locally in the split district made up predominantly of Barrington wards. In total for the evening, Boylan received 984 votes to Wolf's 162.

The other four of the city's Assembly spots went completely uncontested as one-term incumbent Senate Democrats Bob Britto and Pam Lauria will represent Districts 18 and 32, respectively, for another two-year term.

And in the House, Katherine Kazarian, the six-term incumbent Democrat from District 63 and, like Lawson the Majority Whip in the lower chamber, along with Democratic and one-term District 65 rep Matt Dawson are both headed back to Smith Hill without any opposition.

District 14 deep dive
Of the two contested races, the Lawson-Coogan matchup was the most intriguing.

From the outset, when candidate papers were filed in late June, it begged the question "why?"

Lawson entered the race as the decisive favorite, having previously won election running unopposed and with 70 and 60 percent of the vote shares. In her three terms she has risen up into the State Senate leadership. She had ample actual and monetary support. She had avoided even a scintilla of scandal, save for the Republicans alleging conflict-of-interest during her first term because the former East Providence district teacher was and remains a high-ranking officer for the National Education Association-Rhode Island.

In other words, she did not seem ripe for the challenge.

Especially from Coogan, who hadn't run for office in over a decade and who in their lone candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters-Rhode Island and the East Bay Media Group (owners of The East Providence Post and eastbayri.com) had failed to make any clear distinction or stick Lawson with any race-changing negatives.

And the tallies from the eight polling stations for the district bore those things out.

Lawson won seven handily:
Francis School — 299, 81.2%; 69, 18.8%
City View Manor — 196 , 74.2%; 68, 25.8%
St. Francis Church — 186, 64.4%; 103, 35.6%
Hennessey School — 203, 76.0%; 64, 24.0%
St. Martha's Church — 139, 80.3%; 34, 19.7%
Fuller Learning Center — 135, 91.2%; 13, 8.8%
Kent Heights School — 305, 80.3%; 75, 19.7%

Coogan's lone win occurred at Whiteknact School by the narrow count of 75, 50.7%-73, 49.3%.

US Senate primaries
In addition, there were primaries for one of Rhode Island's United States Senate seats, including for Democratic incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse challenged by Michael Costa and on the Republican side between Patricia Morgan and Raymond McKay.

Whitehouse, as expected, won easily in city 2,843-524 or 84.4%-15.6%, which mirrored statewide totals of 48,358-9,323 or  83.8%-16.2%. He'll face Morgan, the State Senator from District 26-West Warwick, Coventry, Warwick, who won in city 350-201, 63.5%-36.5% and statewide 12,013-6,601, 64.5%-35.5%.

The three-term incumbent, Whitehouse was quick with a statement accepting the Democratic nomination roughly 25 minutes after the polls closed Tuesday night at 8.

“I work hard every single day on behalf of all Rhode Islanders, and I am honored and grateful to have their overwhelming support today," Whitehouse said.

He continued, "We are heading into November with a strong Democratic ticket, from Vice President Harris on down the ballot. If voters here and across the country put their trust in Democrats, we will grow the middle class, protect democracy, and leave this planet a better, safer place for our children and grandchildren. I look forward to talking with Rhode Islanders to make that case over the coming weeks.”

Counting details
Tuesday's results are unofficial. The Rhode Island Board of Elections released the following timeline for the completion of the count and final certification of the 2024 Primary:

September 10 — Early voting results will be transmitted by local Boards of Canvassers on September 10 and will be available on the Board of Elections’ website beginning at 8 p.m. and most mail ballots are expected to be counted by September 10, except for those placed in authorized drop boxes at City/Town Halls or in polling places must still be tabulated. These ballots are sealed in envelopes and held in secure and sealed containers by the local Board of Canvassers and delivered to the Board of Elections on September 11. Partial mail ballot results will be available on the Board of Elections’ website after 8 p.m. but will not include these drop box ballots;

September 11-12 — Remaining drop box ballots and any still uncounted mail ballots will be added to the Mail Ballots totals and made available on our website. Any precincts which failed to transmit their results on September 10 due to any technical issues will be added to the primary election results and made available on the Board of Elections’ website;

September 12-13 — Provisional ballots results will be added to Polling Place Results and will be made available on the Board of Elections’ website;

September 13-16 — Military/overseas ballots and deficient mail ballots cured by voters and due to the Board of Elections by September 13-16 will be added to Mail Ballots Results and will be made available on the Board of Elections’ website prior to final primary election results certification.

General Election notes
In the lead-up to the ⁦Tuesday, Nov. 5, General Election, the League and East Bay Media Group will host two more candidate forums for those active races.

Boylan and Wolf will gather in the Barrington Library on September 30 beginning at 5 p.m. The forum also includes races for Barrington Town Council and School Committee.

School contests are the only other locals on the ballot in East Providence and candidates for those two will gather in the East Providence City Council Chambers on October 9 at 6 p.m. Incumbent Ward 1 candidate Ryan Queenan meets Charlie Tsonos and Ward 4 incumbent Jessica Beauchaine faces Chrissy Rossi.

The public is invited to both forums and can submit questions for the candidates by email to info@lwvri.org. The East Providence forum is also available for viewing live at the East Providence City Council YouTube page. The League's site, lwvri.org, will upload video of each after the events.