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Rep. David Morales speaks at an Aug. 6, 2025, “Save RIPTA” rally in Kennedy Plaza in Providence. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
On the day before his 27th birthday, Providence Democratic Rep. David Morales announced Monday morning he will challenge Mayor Brett Smiley to lead the capital city in the September 2026 primary.
Morales pledged to tackle rising rents, expand affordable housing, and invest in Rhode Island’s struggling public transit system when he made the news official in a campaign launch video posted on social media at 8 a.m.
“This is our home, and it’s time City Hall worked for us,” Morales said. “Politicians like Brett Smiley have asked us to trust their experience while working families are struggling to get by.”
Born in Soledad, California, Morales was raised by his single mother who worked in the fields to help support his sister and her special needs nephew. He graduated from Soledad High School in 2016 and went on to earn his bachelor’s in urban studies from the University of California Irvine in 2018.
Morales came to Rhode Island to pursue a Master’s in Public Affairs at Brown University, which he completed in 2019.
Since 2021, Morales has represented Providence’s House District 7 — which covers Providence’s Mount Pleasant, Valley, and Elmhurst neighborhoods. At the time he was elected, Morales was the youngest Latino state legislator in the nation.
Now in his third term on Smith Hill, Morales is still the state’s youngest legislator.
In the General Assembly, Morales has emerged as one of its most progressive and outspoken members, particularly in protecting Rhode Island’s renters.
“We don’t ask for much, we just want a life we can afford in the city we love,” Morales said in the launch video.
Rental costs are certainly high in Rhode Island’s capital city. A report published in July by the National Low Income Housing Coalition found that renters in the Providence metro area would need to make $31.04 an hour to afford the average rent of $1,614 for a two-bedroom unit.
In his first interview after his announcement on Spanish-language Poder 102.1 radio Monday morning, Morales said he would propose a 4% cap on rent increases. Smiley has resisted rent caps, instead prioritizing the construction of more housing units.
Smiley, 46, was first elected mayor in 2022 after winning a three-way primary with 42% of the vote. He faced no Republican or independent opposition in the general election.
Smiley served as the director of administration and chief-of-staff for former Gov. Gina Raimondo. He previously ran for mayor in 2014, before pulling out of the race to join Jorge Elorza’s administration as the chief operating officer at City Hall.
Josh Block, a spokesperson for Smiley’s campaign, didn’t directly address Morales’ challenge when reached for comment Monday morning.
“The election is still a year away, and Mayor Smiley is focused on governing here in Providence and protecting residents from the harmful policies of the Trump administration,” Block said in an emailed statement. “There are serious challenges ahead, and we need someone with Mayor Smiley’s decades of experience in finance, management, and government to continue navigating Providence through this critical time in our city’s and our country’s history.”
The progressive challenger does face a significant uphill battle heading into 2026, as Smiley boasts a little over $1 million in his campaign account as of the state’s most recent reporting deadline in June. Morales’ account had about $68,000 on hand.
Smiley also holds the advantage of incumbency in a city that has not ousted a sitting mayor since Republican Buddy Cianci beat Democrat Joe Doorley in 1974. Smiley also lives on the East Side, known for its high primary voter turnout and affluent campaign donors.
“The East Side has an outsized role to play in the primary,” Wendy J. Schiller, a Brown University political science professor, said.
But Schiller said Morales has the potential to rally a base of voters seeking a change, citing the example of New York State Assemblymember and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary this summer.
But the odds don’t appear to faze Morales, who moonlights as a professional wrestler with the Renegade Wrestling Alliance.
“There are a lot of people in our community that are frustrated and upset with the current administration,” he told Rhode Island Current in a phone interview Monday. “There is a desire within our city for a change.”
Morales said he’s not leaving his life as a professional heel, but said he’s holding his last match “for a while” on Saturday.
The Democratic primary is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2026. Approximately 57% of Providence’s 100,316 registered voters on the state’s active roster are Democrats.
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