Democratic candidate Dawn Euer will carry on former Sen. M. Teresa Paiva Weed’s legacy in the State Senate District 13 seat after she won every polling location and garnered more than half of the votes during the Aug. 22 special election. Overall, 18 percent of all eligible voters in the district cast ballots, according to a polling spreadsheet the City of Newport provided to Newport This Week.
The seat, which represents Newport and Jamestown, became vacant in the spring when Paiva Weed (D), who was in office since 1993 and sat as senate president since 2009, resigned to lead the Hospital Association of Rhode Island.
Based on preliminary, unofficial results, Euer received 1,982 or 58.7 percent of the 3,375 votes cast, not including mail-in and emergency ballots. She was followed by Republican Michael Smith (1,295), Independent Kimberly Ripoli (73) and Green Party candidate Gregory Larson (17).
After the last results rolled in at around 8:15 p.m., Euer embraced her campaign manager, Erich Haslehurst, at the Elks Lodge as the song “Celebration” came over the speakers and the 40 people gathered began to cheer. After receiving hugs and congratulations from numerous friends and supporters, Euer thanked everyone, saying the campaign would not have been successful without them.