Republican Robert Raimondo announces gubernatorial campaign
By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current
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| Republican Robert Raimondo, 58, of North Kingstown, announces his gubernatorial bid at a sparsely attended campaign kickoff at Brewed Awakenings Coffee House in Warwick on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Photo by Laura Paton/Rhode Island Current) |
Is Rhode Island ready for another Governor Raimondo?
Robert Raimondo hopes so. The North Kingstown Republican formalized his bid for the governor’s seat in a kickoff event at Brewed Awakenings Coffee House in Warwick Thursday morning. Aside from regular coffeehouse customers, the event drew two attendees, a Rhode Island Current photographer and a cameraperson for WPRI-TV 12.
Unlike former Gov. Gina Raimondo, who Robert said is a distant cousin, Robert Raimondo is a political newcomer. He’s never run for office before, and moved back to Rhode Island in October with the express purpose of fulfilling his lifelong dream to serve as state governor, he said in an interview Thursday.
The 58-year-old had not even registered to vote in the state at the time he filed his campaign paperwork in November, the Providence Journal reported. He has since registered.
Inexperience and a slow start to the campaign did not dissuade Raimondo.
“At some point, if you want to do something you need to put your neck out there and try it,” Raimondo said. Of the turnout for his event, he added, “It is what it is.”
He’s hoping to gain attention through his policies, including a bold promise to eliminate state personal income taxes.
“Rhode Islanders are taxed enough,” Raimondo said in a press release. “Eliminating state income taxes will lower costs for families, help seniors on fixed incomes, and make our state a magnet for jobs and opportunity.”
Asked how he would offset the $2.1 billion in revenue from state income taxes — the largest source of income for the state each year — Raimondo explained that saving people money on taxes would spur more spending, generating income via state sales taxes. He also suggested businesses would be drawn to set up or expand in the state with a competitive income tax policy, further boosting state coffers.
Raimondo also backs the perennial Republican proposal for a state inspector general to reduce fraud and monitor state spending.
He criticized Gov. Dan McKee’s administration for “so many things going wrong,” naming paycheck errors for state workers, the Washington Bridge and losing Hasbro as examples.
“Every time you pick up the paper, it’s another thing,” Raimondo said. “It feels like everything is aligned, this is the point in my life, to try and change that.”
His policy ideas reprise the GOP playbook, but Raimondo does not consider himself a dyed-in-the-wool Republican. He voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, though he said he now supports Trump, naming his economic and health policies under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
A Providence native and certified public accountant, Raimondo moved to California in 1991 in search of work, according to his campaign website. His career took off away from home, with positions at top accounting firms and businesses in California and Hawaii.
Since November, a month after moving back to his native state, he has served as founder of Leather and Lace, a holistic wellness studio development business, according to his LinkedIn page. The company is registered at the same Cranston address listed on Raimondo’s campaign finance account, but Raimondo said the corporate headquarters is preliminary.
Raimondo is the third Republican to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race; Aaron Guckian, a former aide to Gov. Don Carcieri, kicked off his campaign in the same location on Dec. 1. Retired comedian Elaine Pelino unveiled a campaign website in July 2025, but has not held a formal kickoff event or promoted her campaign to the press. The state GOP has not endorsed a candidate in the race.
On the Democratic side, McKee is seeking a second full term, facing off against his 2022 rival, Helena Buonanno Foulkes and, potentially, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, who has not announced his decision yet. Gregory Stevens, who owns a trio of local Pat’s Italian Restaurants, also filed paperwork to run as a Democrat in the race.
Laura Paton contributed to this story.
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