All Warwick voters will have the opportunity to vote in Tuesday’s primary election when the polls open at 7 a.m. through at 8 p.m., when they close.

Voters will select candidates to appear on the general election ballot running for U.S. Senate and two at-large members of the Warwick School Committee. In addition, Democrats in Senate District 29 and Ward 7 will have the choice of selecting the Democratic candidate appearing on the November ballot.

United States Senate  Democratic and Republican)

 Sheldon Whitehouse, who has been Rhode Island’s junior U.S. Senator since he was first elected in 2006, is the overwhelming favorite in both the primary and general election. However, he faces competition in both elections.

Michael Costa, an investment advisor living in Bristol, is running in the Democratic primary against Whitehouse. In an interview with WPRI, Costa said he would focus on funding for schools and is concerned about prices, specifically healthcare costs, and said he would “[address] obvious problems without constantly seeking partisan advantage.”

Costa previously ran as a Republican in the 2022 Rhode Island gubernatorial race.

Whitehouse’s major focuses in the Senate have been the climate, corruption and the Supreme Court. He is considered one of the main proponents of a bill that would give the Court a binding code of ethics.

On the GOP side of the ballot, current West Warwick Rep. Patricia Morgan — whose district represents a tiny sliver of Warwick — is facing off against Raymond McKay.

Morgan, who ran for governor in 2018 and is the former chair of the Rhode Island Republican Party, has attracted controversy in the State House for introducing bills such as one that would ban the teaching of systemic racism and attracted the attention of the Washington Post when a tweet of hers about “losing a Black friend to critical race theory” went viral. She told WPRI that her top priorities should she be elected would be curbing inflation and keeping costs down.

McKay, a resident of Warwick, told WPRI that he is “deeply concerned” about inflation and illegal immigration, and would focus on those should he be elected.

Major national rating agencies each have the general election for this race in its “Safe Democratic” column.

Senate District 29 (Democratic)

 In the only Republican-held seat in the city, two Democratic candidates — Peter Appollonio, Jr. and Jennifer Rourke — are running against each other, in a battle of different wings of the party.

Senate District 29, which consists of Conimicut, Hoxsie and Pilgrim Park, as well as parts of Governor Francis, Greenwood, Oakland Beach and Warwick Neck, is currently held by Anthony DeLuca.

Appollonio graduated from Rhode Island College with a criminal justice degree, and served as a police captain with the West Warwick Police Department and substitute teacher for Warwick Public Schools. He has the backing of the statewide Democratic Party, with Senate President Dominick Ruggerio hosting a fundraiser for him in June.

Appollonio emphasized bipartisanship when asked by the Beacon why he is running for office, saying he would work with both Democrats and Republicans on “meaningful legislation” to help Warwick residents.

Rourke is the executive director of Nora’s Haven, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault. She has made three prior runs for the seat, and in 2022, lost to DeLuca, receiving 47.4% of the vote.

Rourke mentioned making sure that more affordable and accessible housing is built and that Warwick’s schools are properly funded as her top priorities should she be elected, and told the Beacon that she would bring a “working class point of view” to the General Assembly.

The winner will face DeLuca in the general election.

City Council Ward 7 (Democratic)

Ward 7, comprising of Apponaug, Greenwood and parts of Buttonwoods, has been represented by City Council President Steve McAllister since 2016. McAllister, however, decided to step away from politics this year, citing his belief in term limits.

Three candidates are running to replace him — Jackie Anderson, John Kirby and Stephen Mulcahey.

While McAllister has not endorsed in the race to replace him, Mulcahey is touting the endorsement of another major figure, Gov. Dan McKee. Mulcahey, the former chair of the Burrillville Democratic Party and an employee of Cumberland Public Schools, has touted the endorsements of McKee, Ward 1 Councilman William Foley and the Providence Central Federated Council AFL-CIO.

Mulcahey said that he would have two major focuses should he be elected, helping seniors and students. One of his top priorities would be creating a Senior Advocate position within the city’s government to help with housing and healthcare.

Anderson, who is a nursing supervisor, touts the endorsement of the Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus. She ran a primary campaign against Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi in 2022, saying that the campaign was largely based on trying to raise awareness for the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA), which passed the State House this year.

Anderson said her top priority if elected would be making sure more housing is built in the city, and she would try to “try to make a positive difference” in the lives of Warwick residents.

Kirby, the owner of Kirby Bros. Construction, has previously run for mayor of Warwick three times, though he was defeated by former mayor Scott Avedisian in each race, and made a run for State Senate in the 1980s.

He has said he would “bring a business perspective to council meetings” and would keep a close eye on spending if elected.

The winner of the primary will go on to face independents Roger Ceresi and Jeffrey Chapdelaine in the general election.

School Committee- At-Large seats (Nonpartisan)

With construction of the new Pilgrim and Toll Gate high schools scheduled to begin and conclude within the four-year terms of the candidates elected, the winners of this year’s School Committee elections will hold their seats during one of the most impactful periods in the history of the city.

Five candidates have thrown their hats in the ring for the two citywide School Committee seats being contested this year. Four candidates will make it through the primary to the general election, while one with the least votes will be eliminated from contention.

Both incumbents — David Testa and Karen Bachus — are running for reelection. Bachus was first elected in 2012, and Testa was first elected in 2016. Both have chaired the committee in the past —Bachus from January of 2019 through January of 2021, Testa from January of 2023 until this past January. Their three challengers in this election are Zachary Colón, Anthony Corrente and Sean Wiggins.

Over her 12 years on the committee, Bachus has been the dissenting vote on multiple controversial proposals, including the consolidation of schools in 2016 and budget cuts in the same year. She told the Beacon that if reelected, she would look forward to “[advocating] for the best comprehensive education and all-around experience we can give our students.”

Testa’s main focus, meanwhile, has been the construction of the new high schools. He is the chair of the School Building Committee, a subcommittee focusing on making sure that the buildings are built on time and on budget, telling the Beacon that he’s running to “finish the work we’ve started.”

Colón is the former president of the Toll Gate Class of 2017, and currently works as a sales consultant. He previously ran for the Ward 9 seat on the City Council. Colón told the Beacon that he is running for the School Committee in order to advocate for students, “especially our most vulnerable.”

Corrente is the director of administration in West Warwick, and told the Beacon that his top priorities should he be elected would be “maximizing the benefit of every school dollar allocated” and making sure that school programs and services receive proper funding.

Wiggins is the president of Warwick North Little League and a senior legal specialist focusing on intellectual property. His top priorities are improving the quality of special education in the city and retaining students that live in Warwick.

The general elections for the winners of each seat will be held on Nov. 5.