Bridget G. Valverde is a Democratic member of the

Rhode Island Senate The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of w ...

, representing District 35 since January 1, 2019. Valverde won election to a Republican-held seat in the

on November 6, 2018. On the same day that Valverde was elected to the

for the first time, American women were elected in record-breaking numbers to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

and to state legislative chambers nationwide.

Early life, education, and family

State Senator Bridget Valverde was born on October 23, 1982. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 2004 and served as the Vice Chairwoman of the Rhode Island Democratic Party Women's Caucus prior to her election to the Rhode Island Senate in 2018. Valverde is married and has two children. Valverde had a long history of Democratic activism prior to her first run for political office in 2018, including canvassing for her mother's school board campaign in Connecticut to fundraising for the San Francisco Food Bank and testifying in favor of the Reproductive Health Care Act before the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee. She credits the rise in women's political groups and activism that emerged following Donald Trump's election to the presidency for inspiring her to seek elective office herself.

Rhode Island Senate

Valverde was sworn in for her first term on January 1, 2019. She represents portions of

North Kingstown North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. Its population was 27,732 in the 2020 census. North Kingstown is the birthplace of American portraitist Gilbert Stuar ...

South Kingstown South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New ...

, Narragansett, and

East Greenwich East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan s ...

. She serves on the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.

Electoral history

On November 6, 2018, Valverde won election to the open District 35 seat in the Rhode Island Senate by a margin of 53.9 percent to 46 percent for the Republican candidate. The 35th Senate district, which includes areas of

, Narragansett, and

, had not been won by a Democrat since 2008. Two Republicans, Dawson Tucker Hodgson and Mark Gee, subsequently held the seat from 2011 to 2015 and 2015 to 2019, respectively. In the 2018 general election, Valverde defeated candidate Dana Gee, the wife of the retiring incumbent, by about 1,000 votes, performing an unusual red-to-blue flip in the Ocean State.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valverde, Bridget 1982 births Living people People from North Kingstown, Rhode Island Politicians from Washington County, Rhode Island George Washington University alumni Democratic Party Rhode Island state senators 21st-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Rhode Island