Amo has enough ammo to win the Democratic Primary in Rhode Island
Former White House aide Gabe Amo won the special election in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, and he may be the first African to represent the state in its history.
Amo, a former staffer in the Obama and Biden administrations, will go up against political newcomer, Republican Gerry Leonard, in November to replace
Democratic Rep. David Cicilline — who resigned this year to take a job running a large nonprofit.
Amo captured nearly 32 percent of votes in the primary as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, besting state Sen. Sandra Cano, former state Rep. Aaron Regunberg, and Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos.
A dozen candidates participated in the Democratic primary, with the progressive Regunberg as Amo’s strongest opponent, garnering about 25 percent of the vote.
Amo was most recently the deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Biden administration and an adviser to President Biden before leaving that post to run for Congress.
He worked in the same office during the Obama administration before a stint as an aide to then-Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo. Amo is the son of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants.