Lawson has her lesson plan ready for the R.I. Senate

Sen. Valarie Lawson, an East Providence Democrat, is poised to become the new Senate majority leader. (Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)

Sen. Valarie Lawson looks almost uncomfortable when she initially sits down for an interview in a third-floor Rhode Island Senate office in early December. She smiles, looking down at the table.

But her shyness evaporates as soon as the discussion turns to topics the East Providence Democrat is most passionate about. Lawson’s hands dance wildly as she recalls teaching the Electoral College to East Providence High School students during her three decades as a public school teacher. Her head bobs back and forth as she explains why a law enacted last year extending paid leave for parents and caregivers from six to eight weeks is still not enough for the thousands of Rhode Islanders struggling to make ends meet while taking care of babies and sick family members.

“I believe in government, and I believe government can work for people,” she said. “We’re here to put in structures to uplift people, to be advocates for them.”

Senate President Ruggerio fends off challenge by his former no. 2; Lawson to be new majority leader

It’s that combination of humility, passion and commitment that made colleagues back Lawson as Senate majority leader in a 32-1 Democratic caucus vote — one person voted “present” — two days after the Nov. 5 election.

The vote for Lawson, 58, was a rare moment of agreement during an otherwise tense gathering. Senate Democrats struggled to reach consensus on the rules governing their meeting, much less who would be the Senate president.

Lawson will be formally sworn in as the second-in-command to Senate President Dominick Ruggerio at 4 p.m. Tuesday, when the Rhode Island General Assembly kicks off its 2025 session. Her ascension comes at a time of deep unrest among Senate Democrats still reeling from the feud between Ruggerio and former Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson, after Pearson tried unsuccessfully to oust Ruggerio from the top spot.

Lawson is a professional organizer, having spent the last year rallying the 12,000 members of the National Education Association of Rhode Island as union president. Add in a heavy dose of patience, honed through 32 years teaching social studies to middle and high school students in East Providence schools, and she just might be the best person to revive a floundering state Senate.

‘Head down and do-the-work type’

There’s a financial storm looming with a projected $330 million budget deficit for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Also: a crippling primary care worker shortage, a cyberattack that could have compromised personal information of almost two-thirds of state residents, and lingering doubts among some Senate Democrats over Ruggerio’s ability to serve, given his slew of health problems last year.

“I think the last couple of years here have been difficult, right?” Lawson said. “At the end of the day, I think everyone in the chamber, really, we’re here for the right reasons. That’s about getting things done for our constituents, in making Rhode Island a better place. And I think at the end of the day, that’s what matters to all of us, and collectively, that chamber will work towards that.”

Lawson said she is “deeply humbled” by the support of her Democratic colleagues.

“They think there’s someone that they can approach to be their ally, advocate and get things done,” she said. “And that’s what I want to do.”

The resounding support for Lawson came as no surprise to Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore, who has known Lawson since childhood when both attended East Providence public schools.

“She’s a head down and do-the-work type,” Amore said of Lawson. “She’s a grinder. She’s a worker.”

An avid learner with a passion for history, Lawson decided she wanted to be a teacher at an early age. After graduating from East Providence High School — alongside Amore, her classmate and fellow Townie — she studied secondary education and history at Rhode Island College (RIC). She later returned to RIC for a master’s degree in education.

Fresh out of college,  she started working at Edward R. Martin Middle School in East Providence as a 7th grade social studies teacher. She soon found not every student was like her, eager to learn and in the right circumstances to do so. The ensuing 32 years in the classrooms at Martin and later, East Providence High School, schooled Lawson in the various learning, socioeconomic and health struggles that influence student performance in the classroom.

It’s why she sponsored legislation, passed in 2021, to make feminine hygiene products available in all state public schools. And why she’s still vehemently pursuing legislation that would make school meals free for all students, regardless of income.

With an estimated $35 million price tag, free school meals have been a tough pill for legislative leaders, including Ruggerio, to swallow in years past. Despite the looming budget deficit, Ruggerio now seems more open.

“It’s hard for kids to learn when they’re hungry,” Ruggerio said in a December interview.

Two of a kind, sort of

Ruggerio announced in October that he was supporting Lawson as his second-in-command, cementing whispers of a growing feud between him and Pearson that began during the 2024 session when Pearson allegedly expressed interest in taking the Senate president role amid Ruggerio’s declining health. Pearson received nine votes in his bid to oust the sitting Senate president at the Nov 7 caucus. But Ruggerio still triumphed with 23 votes and strict loyalty from his supporters.

At first blush, Lawson and Ruggerio seemed an unlikely pairing, even though Ruggerio had promoted Lawson to Senate majority whip the year before.

Ruggerio, a 40-year State House veteran, has long opposed stricter gun regulations and, until recently, abortion rights. Lawson co-sponsored legislation banning assault-style weapons in 2024, and has been a steadfast supporter of abortion rights since her first day in office six years ago.

Both share backgrounds in labor.

Ruggerio retired from his role as administrator of the New England Laborers Management Coop Trust in 2017; Lawson embraced organizing as a full-time job when she was elected president of the state teachers union in 2023. She previously served in several leadership roles, including as president, for the East Providence teachers union while working for the school district.

“I think we complement one another, right?” Lawson said of her and Ruggerio. “We share a lot of similar beliefs. But we also have different viewpoints on things. And I think one of the Senate president’s strengths is he’s willing and open to listen to people.”

Ruggerio was quick to dismiss the notion that he was becoming more progressive. But, he said he was “more open” on certain issues, including free school meals, and, in an unexpected about-face, even an assault weapons ban.

Call it the Lawson effect.

It’s inspired teenagers to care about The Federalist Papers. It’s helped unite thousands of public school teachers across the state on union positions on special education funding, protections against school book bans and engagement in the Nov. 5 election. And it’s left a lasting impression on her fellow Democratic senators who represent a range of ideologies.

“When you have folks like Frank Lombardi talking about how much he admires and respects her and Sam Bell saying the exact same thing you know she has political skill that is rare,” said Amore, referring to two Democratic state senators on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum.

Lombardi retired from office last year and did not attend the Nov. 7 caucus at the Providence restaurant Waterman Grille. Bell, who was reelected to represent Providence, backed Lawson, but abstained from the vote on the Senate president.

Sen. Pam Lauria, a Barrington Democrat and nurse practitioner who heads the Senate panel tasked with studying the prospect of a state medical school, cast the one “present” vote at the caucus.

“I couldn’t vote for the Senate President, but I wasn’t trying to vote against him,” Lauria said in a recent interview.

But her support for Lawson remained unwavering.

“The support for Val really speaks to somebody to be able to have relationships with the whole chamber, not just specific groups of people that think the same way about policy,” Lauria said. “I am hopeful she can help with the cohesion of the Senate.”

Pearson declined to comment on Lawson’s new position.

Health care reform among priorities

Lawson won the 2018 Democratic primary against Delmar Condinho by 16 percentage points in her first run for state office, despite Condinho receiving both the district committee endorsement and that of longtime seat-holder Dan DaPonte. Lawson was unopposed in the November 2018 general election.

Lawson faced a steep learning curve in her freshman term, witnessing the intricacies of policies she was voting on and the cultural norms that shaped State House behavior. Bills she expected to move quickly, given their seemingly noncontroversial nature, dragged on for months, or even multiple legislative sessions. It took two go-rounds for both chambers to pass Lawson’s bill requiring insurers to cover treatment for children with neuropsychiatric disorders which can result from strep throat or similar infections. Gov. Dan McKee signed the legislation into law in May 2022. 

Lawson named the insurance coverage bill as one of her top accomplishments, pledging to revisit the legislation this year in light of new cost data insurers were required to submit to the Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner on Jan. 1.

Also high on Lawson’s very long list is increasing reimbursement rates to primary care providers and assessing the potential for a state medical school at the University of Rhode Island. She also wants to address well-documented gaps in care for children with behavioral and mental health diagnoses, and pursue legislative oversight hearings on the Washington Bridge and the cyberattack on the RIBridges public benefits platform.

All of which might be easier than healing the wounds of betrayal and distrust among Senate Democrats.

“She certainly is a leader who leads from her values,” said Mary Barden, executive director for the teachers union, who works hand-in-hand with Lawson to organize and advocate for members. “That collaboration, that consensus-building, listening to and valuing others’ opinions, is the same set of skills that makes her very good here and makes her a very good state senator.”

Amore, who worked alongside Lawson at East Providence High School, agreed.

“If you can do cafeteria duty, you can do anything,” he said.