Gabe Amo becomes Rhode Island’s 1st Black representative in Congress

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Democrat Gabe Amo won the special election and will now be Rhode Island’s first Black representative in Congress Tuesday.

Amo, former White House aide under the Obama and Biden administrations, defeated Marine veteran Gerry Leonard.

The Associated Press reports that Amo received over 60% of the vote.

The special election was called earlier this year after David Cicilline resigned from Congress to become the head of the Rhode Island Foundation.

Amo will now wait to be officially sworn in as congressman before getting to work for his home state.

Democrat Gabe Amo speaks with supporters after his special election win for the 1st Congressional District seat, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (WLNE)

Amo brought his mother with him to vote Tuesday morning.

He said the moment felt “full circle” in many ways. Amo remembered helping his mother study for her citizenship test at 8-years-old, an experience that gave him an appreciation for Rhode Island’s government and history.

He has spoken openly about his family throughout his campaign, growing up in Pawtucket, a son of African immigrants.

Amo told ABC 6 News after his acceptance speech that he was honored to be elected to serve the people of Rhode Island.

“I am very aware and very conscious of the fact that I stand on the shoulders of so many people who came before me,” he said.

He expressed gratitude for his family, his supporters, and advocates in government that came before him.

“I am honored at being historic, but I’m more honored at having the opportunity to impact people’s lives for the good,” he said.

When asked about what he plans to do first, he told ABC 6, “The first thing is to be a vote to keep the government open.”

“We cannot have dysfunctional government in Washington, that is not what voters need, not what any Rhode Islanders deserve, and so we’re going to do that first and then I’m going to work really hard to see how I can address some of the critical priorities through the federal resources of the Biden-Harris administration,” he said.

Amo has said he will stand to protect Social Security and Medicare, and fight critical issues like gun violence.

Leonard said during his concession speech that he’s not sure what the next step in his political future will be, and said he will “keep on doing something to fix Rhode Island.”

He congratulated Amo in his speech and on X, formerly Twitter.

“He’s a good man, and I hope he becomes a great Congressman,” Leonard said.