Rhode Island’s former state Health director, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, said Wednesday she will not be a candidate for an open seat in the Second Congressional District.
“It was an honor to be contacted and urged to run by so many fellow Rhode Islanders over the last few weeks,” Alexander-Scott said in a statement. “I gave serious consideration to running because I saw this as a unique opportunity to advocate for change on the national level on the issues that I have committed my career to: health, equity, and the need to give every person and every community an equal opportunity to thrive.”
Alexander-Scott completed an almost seven-year tenure as director of the state Department of Health last week. Her exploration of a candidacy for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin after an election this year excited her admirers.
In her statement, Alexander-Scott did not specifically explain why she decided against running.
“I also gave running serious consideration because diversity in representation matters,” she said. “While a person from any background or gender could make an exemplary congressperson, we need to work to ensure that the group of people we elect is reflective of all of the communities served.”
For now, four Democrats are set to square off in a September primary: refugee advocate Omar Bar; Joy Fox, a former communications aide to Langevin and former Gov. Gina Raimondo; General Treasurer Seth Magaziner; and former state Rep. and former state Democratic Party Chairman Ed Pacheco.
Those Democrats still considering a run include state Reps. Carol McEntee and Teresa Tanzi, both from South Kingstown.
On the Republican side, former state Rep. Bob Lancia of Cranston and state Sen. Jessica de la Cruz (R-North Smithfield) are running, and former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung is eyeing the race.
Rhode Islanders have never elected a Democratic woman to Congress. Former GOP U.S. Rep. Claudine Schneider, who represented the second district from 1981 through 1991, is the only woman to have been elected to the U.S. House or Senate from the state
Alexander-Scott has never run for public office. She grew in stature from her leadership role during the pandemic, when she was paired with Raimondo at the front of scores of news conferences. Alexander-Scott announced her departure as health director last month, following signs of tensions between her and Gov. Dan McKee, who succeeded Raimondo last March.
Alexander-Scott has a three-month contract as a state consultant, from March through May. Her plans for the future remain unclear.
In her statement, she said, “While I will continue to be open to opportunities like this in the future, I remain as committed as ever to building strong, healthy and resilient communities in every ZIP code from any position I am blessed to serve in. I look forward to still advancing this critical work and having a strong impact on policies at a national level that will benefit the public’s health, as part of the next opportunity that I take on, in this unique moment.”
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org. Follow him on Twitter @IanDon. Sign up here for his weekly RI politics and media newsletter.
