J. Aaron Regunberg

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

Aaron Regunberg
Member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
from the 4th district
In office
January 6, 2015 – January 1, 2019
Preceded byGordon Fox
Succeeded byRebecca Kislak
Personal details
Born (1990-01-26) January 26, 1990
Political partyDemocratic
EducationBrown University (BA)
WebsiteState House website

Early life and education

Regunburg is a native of Rhode Island. His father died in a plane crash before he was born, and his grandfather immigrated to the United States to escape The Holocaust.[1] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and became a student at Harvard Law School in the fall of 2019.[2]

Career

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,[3] infrastructure repairs,[4] free student bus passes,[5] and an end to school closings and high-stakes testing.[6]

Rhode Island House of Representatives

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

Elections

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%.[7] 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.[8] Regunberg also introduced and passed legislation to guarantee earned paid sick days for over 100,000 Rhode Islanders,[9] and has pushed for a state-level carbon pricing system,[10] and a more progressive tax system, among other proposals.[11] He also chaired a special legislative study commission to reform the use of solitary confinement in Rhode Island.[12]

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.[13]

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.[14] He has introduced legislation that would divest Rhode Island from any companies that contract to help build Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico.[15]

Regunberg received a 74% score from Common Cause Rhode Island in their 2015-2016 legislative scorecard,[16] and an A rating from the Environmental Council of Rhode Island.[17]

Committee Assignments
2015

For the 2015 legislative session, Regunberg served on the following Rhode Island House of Representatives committees:[7]

  • 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:[8]

  • Environment and Natural Resources
  • Labor

Campaign for Lieutenant Governor

In late October 2017, Regunberg announced that he would run to become the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island in the 2018 election.[18] 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.[19] His bid received national attention when CNN named it one of the "9 Democratic primaries to watch in 2018."[20]

Regunberg's campaign was endorsed by many progressive organizations and politicians throughout Rhode Island.

In March 2018, Regunberg received the endorsement of the Mayor of Providence, Jorge Elorza.[21]

Regunberg was defeated in the Democratic primary election by incumbent Lieutenant Governro Daniel McKee. Regunberg received 49% of the vote to Mckee's 51%.[22]

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.[23]

gollark: Also, how about an external HDMI switch thingy?
gollark: That's not the same as a *satellite* receiver though?
gollark: You could install PHP on it so nobody can ever use it again.
gollark: So it costs, er, 100 and something liræ.
gollark: £25 for a 240GB one here.

References
  1. Milkovits, Amanda. "Campaign 2018: McKee, Regunberg contrast sharply in battle for R.I. Lt. Gov. | Audio". The Newport Daily News. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  2. Gregg, Katherine. "Former state Rep. Regunberg hired as adviser to Providence Mayor Elorza". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  3. Borg, Linda (January 20, 2016). "'Our history matters': Providence students rally for ethnic studies curriculum". Providence Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  4. Ahlquist, Steve. "Providence Student Union calls on legislature to fix broken schools". RI Future.org. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  5. Apps, Aaron (June 2, 2015). "Providence school busing routes require rethinking". Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  6. "'Providence Student Union'". Providence Student Union. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  7. "J. Aaron Regunberg". Ballotpedia.
  8. "Representative J. Aaron Regunberg". Rhode Island General Assembly.
  9. "Rhode Island Democrats push to guarantee paid sick days". Los Angeles Times. February 8, 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  10. Fitzpatrick, Edward (January 25, 2016). "Regunberg's birthday wish — a 'carbon pricing' law". Providence Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  11. Regunberg, Aaron; Philippe Barros, Jean; Ranglin-Vassell, Marcia (February 14, 2017). "Aaron Regunberg, Jean Philippe Barros and Marcia Ranglin-Vassell: Workers struggle, wealthy thrive in R.I." Providence Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  12. Gourlay, Kristin (February 9, 2017). "The Pulse: Regunberg On Reforming Solitary Confinement In RI". Rhode Island Public Radio. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  13. Fitzpatrick, Edward (July 25, 2016). "R.I legislator led charge against superdelegates". Providence Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  14. Ahlquist, Steve (November 13, 2016). "Resist Hate RI- Nearly 1000 people attend emergency meeting to resist Trump". RI Future.org. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  15. "Representative Regunberg introduces bill to push back against Trump border wall". State of Rhode Island General Assembly. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  16. "Common Cause Rhode Island Report" (PDF). Common Cause Rhode Island. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  17. "Rhode Island General Assembly 2015-2016 Green Report Card" (PDF). Environment Council of Rhode Island.
  18. Tempera, Jacqueline. "Rep. Regunberg announces run for lieutenant governor". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  19. "My Plan". Aaron Regunberg. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  20. Krieg, Gregory. "9 Democratic primaries to watch in 2018". CNN. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  21. GoLocalProv News Team. "Elorza Flip-Flops, Backs Lt. Gov. Challenger Regunberg After Refusing to Support Ranglin-Vassell". GoLocalProv. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  22. "Rhode Island Primary Election 2018". WPRI. WPRI. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  23. Andrade, Kevin (July 2, 2019). "18 arrested in Never Again protest of Wyatt's ICE role". Providence Journal. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
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