J. Aaron Regunberg

Aaron Regunberg (born January 26, 1990) is a progressive activist and former Democratic American politician. He served as the member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives for the 4th District from 2015 to 2019, and he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island in 2018.

In 2010 he co-founded the Providence Student Union, a youth-led public school student advocacy organization that has organized around issues including ethnic studies curricula, infrastructure repairs, free student bus passes, and an end to school closings and high-stakes testing.

In 2014, Regunberg was elected to serve Rhode Island House District 4 on the East Side of Providence.

Elections

2014

In the race for Rhode Island House District 4, Regunberg won 51.5% of the vote in the Democratic Primary against challengers, Heather Tow-Yick and Miriam Ross, who won 33.9% and 14.6% respectively. Regunberg received the endorsement of Progressive Democrats of Rhode Island, Clean Water Action, Planned Parenthood, and progressive labor organizations. Regunberg went on to defeat independent candidate Ethan Gyles in the General Election, 83% to 17%.

2016

Regunberg ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary and in the General Election for Rhode Island House District 4.

Tenure

During his first term as State Representative, he introduced and passed legislation raising Rhode Island's tipped minimum wage for the first time in 20 years, establishing online voter registration, and creating new renewable energy programs. Regunberg also introduced and passed legislation to guarantee earned paid sick days for over 100,000 Rhode Islanders, and has pushed for a state-level carbon pricing system, and a more progressive tax system, among other proposals. He also chaired a special legislative study commission to reform the use of solitary confinement in Rhode Island.

Regunberg served as a member of the Rules Committee for the Democratic National Convention in July 2016, where he was a leader in the campaign to reform the Democratic Party's use of superdelegates in future presidential nominating contests.

Since the election of Donald Trump, Aaron Regunberg has been working locally to resist the Trump administration's agenda. He co-founded Resist Hate RI, a coalition of activists and organizations that has mobilized hundreds of Rhode Island residents to take state and federal action in opposition to the Trump administration. He has introduced legislation that would divest Rhode Island from any companies that contract to help build Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico.

Regunberg received a 74% score from Common Cause Rhode Island in their 2015-2016 legislative scorecard, and an A rating from the Environmental Council of Rhode Island.

Committee Assignments

2015

For the 2015 legislative session, Regunberg served on the following Rhode Island House of Representatives committees:

• Environment and Natural Resources
• Health, Education and Welfare

2017

During the 2017 legislative session, Regunberg served on the following Rhode Island House of Representatives committees:

• Environment and Natural Resources
• Labor

In late October 2017, Regunberg announced that he would run to become the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island in the 2018 election. He ran against incumbent Lieutenant Governor Dan Mckee in the Democratic Primary. In his announcement speech, Regunberg said that if elected he would be a voice "for all of the Rhode Islanders who can’t afford that State House lobbyist," and campaigned on a progressive platform, including as one of the earliest supporters of a Green New Deal. His bid received national attention when CNN named it one of the "9 Democratic primaries to watch in 2018." The campaign was considered by some in the media to highlight the internal party split between the progressive wing and more conservative members of the party.

Aaron Regunberg's campaign was endorsed by Planned Parenthood Votes! RI, RI-NOW, Rhode Island Sierra Club, Rhode Island Clean Water Action, 350.org RI, Our Revolution Rhode Island, Carpenters Local 330, the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Healthcare Professionals (RIFTHP), SEIU Local 1199, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 618, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2323, Teamsters Local 251, UNAP Local 5019, United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 328, UAW Region 9A, UNITE HERE Local 26, the Rhode Island State Association of Fire Fighters, 32BJ SEIU, Rhode Island Working Families Party, Democracy for America, the Substance Abuse and Overdose Prevention PAC, the Young Democrats of Rhode Island and numerous Democratic elected officials across Rhode Island.

In March 2018, Regunberg received the endorsement of the Mayor of Providence, Jorge Elorza.

Regunberg was defeated in the Democratic primary election by the incumbent. Regunberg received 49% of the vote to Mckee's 51%.

Since the election, Regunberg served as a senior policy advisor to Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza. In the summer of 2019, he was arrested as a part of a Never Again Action protest against President Donald Trump's immigration reforms. He will become a student at Harvard Law School in the fall of 2019.