Former Biden aide Angel Taveras won a special congressional primary in Rhode Island on Tuesday, defeating six other Democratic rivals to advance to the general election in April and fill the seat left vacant by retiring Rep. Jim Langevin.
Taveras, who served as a senior adviser to the Biden administration, won the primary with a decisive lead and will face the Republican nominee, former state GOP chairman Giovanni Feroce, in the April 6 election. Taveras’ campaign focused on creating effective solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as shoring up access to health care and education, and reforming gun laws.
Taveras received endorsements from prominent allies of Biden, including senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, who introduced Taveras to a debate last week. Biden himself recorded a robocall to constituents in the primary’s final days to support Taveras.
If elected, Taveras would be the first Hispanic member of Congress from Rhode Island.
