by Shannon Kelly ’26 on September 25, 2025
Local
On Sept. 15, David Morales, Representative of District 7, announced that he will be running against Brett Smiley for Mayor of Providence in the September 2026 Democratic primary. Current Mayor Brett Smiley was elected in 2022 and his term will be up in 2026. Rep. Morales was first elected in 2020 and made history as the youngest Latino to be elected to the state legislature. Despite serving in his third term, Morales remains the youngest legislator in the state of Rhode Island. Recently, Mayor Smiley has faced criticism regarding the affordability crisis in Providence and potential property tax increases.
District 7 includes Providence’s Mount Pleasant, Valley, and Elmhurst neighborhoods. Morales is a member of the Rhode Island House Labor Committee, House Innovation and Technology Committee, and House Municipal Government and Housing Committee. He has brought a sense of passion to tackling the housing crisis in Providence by working to expand affordable housing, lowering rent costs, and emphasizing the importance of investing in public transit. Just this past year, Providence became the least affordable city for renters in the U.S. Rep. Morales also spoke at a “Save RIPTA” rally back in early August at Kennedy Plaza, which many constituents attended.
Morales is from California and was raised by a single mother. He graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a degree in urban studies and began graduate school at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at just 20 years old, making history as the youngest graduate in the program’s history.
As of June, Mayor Smiley had more than $1 million in his campaign account, while Morales had around $68,000. Since Smiley is running as the incumbent, he has a considerable advantage, especially considering the fact that the city of Providence has not unseated a current mayor since 1974.
Morales’ run for mayor comes at an interesting time in our nation’s history. Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist running for Mayor of New York City, led a successful campaign for this party’s nomination by utilizing social media to connect to younger voters and talking about issues that affect the average person, such as affordable housing. Rep. Morales is also a Democratic Socialist and views affordability as the most salient issue of our time. In Morales’ announcement video, he stated a simple reminder that he argues we all should keep in mind: “We don’t ask for much, we just want a life we can afford in the city we love.”
The next few months are sure to be interesting, and voter turnout will prove to be pivotal. Smiley, who resides on the East Side of Providence, will lean heavily on his donors and rely on supporters to show up to vote. Morales, who lives in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, has vowed not to take any donations from any special interests. In an interview with the Rhode Island Current, Morales stated, “There are a lot of people in our community that are frustrated and upset with the current administration. There is a desire within our city for a change.”