Former RI state senator Cindy Coyne to challenge Lt. Governor Matos in 2026

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Former Rhode Island state senator Cindy Coyne has declared her candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island in 2026, according to Coyne’s website.

According to a cindycoyne.com, Senator Coyne will challenge Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos for the Democratic nomination:

I’m running to be your next Lieutenant Governor — to put my experience to work for you. My work has been about bringing people together. Listening to people. Seeking the truth and solving problems. That’s what government should be about and that’s what I’ll do as your next Lieutenant Governor.

Coyne served as a Rhode Island State Trooper, reaching the rank of lieutenant in the RISP.

She retired from the state police in 2006, serving on the Barrington Town Council before serving as a state senator from 2015-2023.