The State Senate District 8 Democratic Committee has acted quickly to endorse a candidate to replace Pawtucket Sen. Sandra Cano, who resigned from her seat to take a new job that requires her to not be a political office holder.
(Courtesy Sandra Cano’s 2023 campaign for U.S. Congress)
The Rhode Island Democratic State Committee voted Friday morning to appoint Lori Urso as the Democratic candidate for Pawtucket’s Senate District 8, according to a letter from Chair Liz Beretta-Perik to Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore.
The letter, obtained by Rhode Island Current, confirms Urso as the replacement candidate for state Sen. Sandra Cano, who announced late Thursday she was resigning from state office and pulling out of her reelection bid, citing a new, unspecified job opportunity. State law gave the state party committee until 4 p.m. Friday to name a successor to fill Cano’s spot on the November ballot.
Pawtucket Sen. Sandra Cano resigns for new ‘opportunity’
Beretta-Perik did not respond to multiple inquiries for comment. The letter does not explain the why or how Urso was chosen.
According to Rep. Karen Alzate, a Pawtucket Democrat, Beretta-Perik opted to give the five-member Senate District 8 Democratic Committee a first crack at recommending a nominee. Alzate nominated Urso, who was the only candidate vetted at the district level at a meeting Thursday night.
Alzate, who met Urso through Cano in 2018, cited Urso’s deep knowledge of and passion for city history as a key strength to her ability to represent the district.
“She’s a super big advocate for the city of Pawtucket,” Alzate said in an interview Friday. “She’s someone who can really be effective with the city, have a relationship with the mayor and take that advocacy to the state.”
Urso did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment Friday.
Her LinkedIn lists her as as president and CEO of the Old Slater Mill Association and Slater Industrial Archives since 2014, helping to preserve, protect and promote the national historic landmark.
Urso managed Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien’s primary reelection campaign against Democratic challenger Camron Segalla. She also worked for a year under Cano’s partner, Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa, as director of executive operations and deputy chief of staff, according to her LinkedIn Page.
Grebien’s wife, Laureen Grebien, is also a member of the Senate District 8 Democratic Committee.
Alzate stressed the importance of having a woman candidate run to fill the seat held by Cano, a vocal advocate for woman-dominated industries like child care employees, and expanded insurance coverage for fertility treatments. Urso is white, while Cano, like Alzate, is Colombian.
“Of course, we want more women of color, people of color, in all offices,” Alzate said. “Yes, [Urso] is a white woman. But I think women bring a lot of value to our state and city.”
Cano, who first won the seat in a special election in 2018, has not provided details on the job that requires her to leave office. But news reports and political murmurs suggest she is being vetted for a federally appointed job as the New England regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, which is currently vacant.
Alzate, who said she considers Cano a mentor, said she was sad to see her colleague and mentor leave the State House, but was excited for her.
“It was silly for us to believe she wasn’t going anywhere after her congressional race,” Alzate said, referring to Cano’s run for Congress during a 2023 special election.
Cano finished third in the 12-way Democratic primary in September 2023.
Cano was unopposed in Tuesday’s primary for the state Senate seat, stepping down two days later. Alzate acknowledged the “terrible timing,” which may have prevented other interested Democrats from running for the seat in the primary because they didn’t want to challenge a longstanding and popular incumbent.
But, Alzate also said Urso was the only person nominated by the district committee to replace Cano on the ballot.
“The good thing is, it’s not a succession plan,” Alzate said. “We have somebody on the ballot, versus if Sandra just picked her successor.”
John Marion, executive director for Common Cause Rhode Island, likened the withdrawal and nomination to the presidential race. After Joe Biden withdrew from his reelection bid, the Democratic National Committee selected Kamala Harris to run in his place.
“In this case, it’s state statute versus party bylaws,” Marion said in an interview Friday. “While nothing illegitimate seems to be happening with the fact that the process is being followed, it’s fair to question whether that’s a good process.”
Alternatives, like holding a special Democratic primary for the now-open nomination, aren’t possible under the state’s election calendar, which requires mail ballots be printed and sent out to overseas and military voters next week.
Rhode Island’s compressed election schedule also added pressure to the 2023 special election to fill the 1st Congressional District seat, when there were unresolved allegations over signature fraud on Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos’ nomination papers before the deadline to print primary ballots.
Urso as the presumed candidate will face independent challenger Cathyann Palocsik in the November general election.
A Providence native who now lives in Pawtucket, Urso also spent time in Westerly, where she served one term on the town council from 2000 to 2002, according to a profile from the Online Review of Rhode Island History. She holds a master’s in public administration from the University of Rhode Island and a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.
The general election is Nov. 5.
Updated to include letter from Rhode Island Democratic State Committee Chair Liz Beretta-Perik.