Powell blasts presumptuous Senate president
The Powell campaign today released the following press release.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Powell Blasts Presumptuous Senate President,
Defends Election Integrity
Candidate for RI State Senate District 1 Responds to “Outrageous Entitlement” While Warning of “Overt Voter Suppression”
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND (October 6, 2023) – Niyoka Powell, candidate for Rhode Island State Senate District 1 in the November 7 special election, today responded to Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio’s announcement of a personnel shuffle in anticipation of an imagined election victory by his current chief of staff, her opponent.
“This is the outrageous entitlement typical of the Democrat machine that dominates Rhode Island politics. My opponent’s campaign has been colored by such arrogance from the start. The sad fact is, the Democrat establishment thinks it owns this seat. But it doesn’t. This seat belongs to the people. And the people deserve an election, not a coronation.”
Powell warned that Ruggerio’s comments affect election integrity.
“This action by the Senate president is an overt form of voter suppression,” she asserted. “He and his Democrat cronies are trying to call the race before voting even starts. His announcement telegraphs to voters, ‘The outcome of this special election is already decided. Your vote doesn’t matter.’ I’m not going to let them get away with meddling with our democracy. The right of the people to vote is sacred, and I’ll fight for the integrity of that right all day long.”
Powell pledged to draw attention to this “grave danger” during the remainder of the campaign.
The November 7 special election is to fill the vacancy left by the death of Maryellen Goodwin earlier this year. Goodwin served in the Rhode Island Senate for 36 years, since 1987.
“The Democrat establishment, its candidate, and its media allies don’t want folks looking seriously at this race. They know that I shatter their stereotype about Republicans. I’m a young Black immigrant, a nurse, a working mother. And I’m prepared to advance the interests of the people, not the elite.”
Powell recently published a platform built around protecting “the neighborhood and the pocketbook,” emphasizing policies that “work for working families,” including combating gentrification, reducing unnecessary barriers to good-paying occupations, putting educational decisions back in parents’ hands, and tackling the opioid crisis.
“The Senate President and his puppet (my opponent) are counting their chickens before they hatch. Meanwhile, I’m engaging the citizens and small businesses of my district; I’m continuing my work of community advocacy and grassroots organizing.”
Powell plans a “trunk-or-treat” event to support a neighborhood business devastated by flooding last month. The business served as a recreational center for local youth.
The public can learn more about Niyoka Powell at www.powellrisenate.com.
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