Washington (QNN)- Democratic socialist and staunch Palestine supporter Rhode Island State Representative David Morales scored a decisive upset victory over incumbent Providence Mayor Brett Smiley in Wednesday’s Democratic primary, putting him on track to become the youngest mayor in the city’s history.
Smiley, 47, became the first incumbent mayor in Providence's history to lose a primary election.
27-year-old Morales celebrated with a large crowd of supporters at a victory party in Olneyville, telling the crowd "Together, we have made history."
In his victory speech, he pledged to cap rent increases, improve public schools, and vowed to use every tool available to defend the city's immigrant community from immigration enforcement.
From the outset, Morales' campaign drew comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, comparisons he embraced.
Morales will face Republican Dave Talan in the November general election. Given Providence's heavily Democratic electorate, he is considered the overwhelming favorite to win and assume office as mayor of Rhode Island's capital city.
As in numerous races nationwide over the past year, Palestine became a significant issue in the Providence contest.
Morales has been an outspoken critic of Israel and a longtime presence in the Palestinian rights movement, and he went after Smiley for his advisory position with the group, Combat Antisemitism Movement, which is vehemently pro-Israel.
Morales has also endorsed a forthcoming Providence ballot measure to divest city investments tied to Israel and other nations accused of committing genocide, a proposal advocacy groups have described as a potentially first-of-its-kind binding municipal divestment vote in the US.
"David has been in the streets with the Palestinian rights movement for years... He has consistently called for an end to US support for apartheid and genocide," the advocacy group, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), said in a statement.
"David proudly endorsed an upcoming city ballot initiative to cut an estimated $2.5 million in investments in Israel and other countries committing genocide. This will be the first legally binding divestment vote in US history."
"David is our 16th endorsed candidate to win the Democratic nomination this cycle. Our Palestine champions have been winning up and down the ballot – from city government, to state legislature, to the House of Representatives, to the Senate," JVP said.
