(Last updated, November 10, noon) After weeks of campaigning, the 2026 general election in Warren took place Tuesday, Nov. 3, at four polling places around town where voters were tasked with choosing who will serve them over either the next two or four years, including three new members of the town council.

Five candidates — Daniel Barlow, James Core, Scott Lial, Bert Rodrigues and Rebecca Schmaeling — were in the running for the council seats vacated by term-limited members Keri Cronin, Joseph DePasquale and John Hanley.

And as it turned it out, it was clean sweep of the seats by the three Democrats in the race led by Core, who earned the most votes on the evenings, 2,291. Schmaeling was second with 2,043 and Barlow third with 2,031.

Scott Lial, the former councilor seeking a return with an Independent run this fall, finished fourth with 1,764 votes. Bert Rodrigues, a member of the town zoning board and also an Independent, placed fifth the council election with 1,264votes.

The victorious trio of Dems join the two other remaining members, Louis Rego and Derrik Trombley, to give the party all five seats on the council. Both Rego and Trombley, elected in 2024, are in the middle potentially of the first of two consecutive four-year terms.

On being the top vote-getter, Core said, ""I think this town really respects hard work. That's in Warren's DNA. And I went out, and I met people. I talked to people, and I knocked on doors. And I take that as a sign, as a symbol of trust, being placed in me. And I'm going to work collaboratively with everybody else on the council. And everyone else in town that wants more collaboratively, to help tune Warren up, so it can be the best version of itself."

About her finish and the Dem sweep, Schmaeling said, ""I'm a perfectionist, so I'm always like, there's more doors you can knock, more people you can meet, but it was really nice to meet all these people and more. And we've been getting out a lot. It's been a very busy month. And I'm just excited that people put their confidence in us. I think (the sweep) says that Warren's ready for something a little bit different."

Besides being Democrats, the new town councilors-elect are each relatively recent transplants to Warren and were also all first-time candidates for any public office.

"For the most part, it shows that town, I think, is ready for some new ideas and new change," Barlow said of the shared traits among the incoming freshmen electeds. "I think it says something that the three candidates are new to Warren, young, and energetic with some new ideas. I think everybody is concerned about our financial challenges, but I think people want some new creative ideas and some new energy. I think that's what that says, more so than the Dems winning. But that new ideas and new people."

As for the defeated candidates, Rodrigues was both conciliatory and congratulatory in his post-race remarks.

"I wish it had gone differently, but I’m glad I ran," Rodrigues said. "One of my favorite parts was just getting to talk with people on their front steps. I’m grateful to everyone who took the time to talk with me and to those who helped me along the way. Congratulations to everyone who was elected. I’m rooting for them to do well for Warren."

Lial shared the following with the paper and his followers on social media: "After spending a day to reflect on the results of Tuesday’s election, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for their support and consideration throughout the process. While disappointed in the result, my love and passion for Warren does not wane. There is much work to be done and also much reason to get excited for the future. Congratulations are in order for the newly elected Council members. The voters have spoken and put their faith in them, and I will do the same."

District 67 race

At the state level, local voters selected a new General Assembly House member from District 67 (Warren, Bristol) between the aforementioned DePasquale and Nicole Jellinek.

The seat became available when incumbent Jason Knight, Jellinek's husband, opted to run for the Democratic Party nomination to become the state's next attorney general, which proved an unsuccessful effort.

Also a first-time candidate, Jellinek won going away, 3,479-2,231. She ran just about even to DePasquale in his hometown of Warren, losing by a 1,066-992 tally. Jellinek, however, won decisively in her place of residence, Barrington, 2,487-1,165.

"I felt good coming in, but I also know that Joey is a beloved, long time, committed public servant to this community. So I didn't take that for granted at all," Jellinek said, referring to DePasquale's decades-long service on the Warren Town Council, on which he is the out-going president.

Of her performance in Warren and overall during the race, she added, "I worked hard here. I had a solid team of volunteers who helped me. Over the course of this campaign, we went to 4,500 doors. And just had a lot of conversations with people, and I think the things that matter to me, and that I want to work on, really matter to other people; healthcare, climate, rising costs, energy costs. I think that message resonates."

In addition, all of the state officers were on the ballot, led by the three-way race to become Rhode Island's next governor, which Helena Foulkes won handily with 57.68% of the electorate. Federal seats were also up for a vote, Democratic incumbents Jack Reed and Gabe Amo each easily won re-election to the United States Senate and House, respectively.

Referenda questions

There were also five state-wide referenda items on the ballot, three of which appear headed for approval:

Question 1: HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIES - $275,000,000; 59.00%-40.01%, APPROVE

Question 2: HOUSING AND HOMEOWNERSHIP - $120,000,000; 61.31%-38.69%; APPROVE

Question 3: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - $100,000,000; 52.32%-47.68%; REJECT

Question 4: CULTURAL ECONOMY - $50,000,000; 50.62%-49.38%; REJECT

Question 5: GREEN ECONOMY BONDS - $55,000,000; 67.08%-32.92%; APPROVE

"Blue Tsunami"

The election nationally, also called a "Blue Tsunami" because of its overwhelming nature,  has the Democratic Party on pace to flip a combined 54 Congressional seats and pick up over 575 seats in state legislatures from Republicans.

The last time the party did so well was the "Watergate" election in 1974 when 53 seats in the US House and Senate and 628 seats in state capitols switched in the favor of Democrats.

Five governorships have also already swapped parties as the vote tallying continues in 2026 compared to four in 1974.

Results links

See all the 2026 elections results from Warren its page on the secretary of state website, electionresults.ri.gov, as well as those statewide.