Former White House aide Gabe Amo becomes first Black American to represent Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District

“Rhode Islanders deserve a congressperson who can be effective from Day One,” Gabe Amo, Rhode Island congressman-elect, said.

Former White House aide Gabe Amo has made history as the first Black American and person of color to represent Rhode Island’s 1^st Congressional District. 

On Tuesday, Amo defeated Republican challenger Gerry Leonard, a U.S. Marine veteran, in Rhode Island’s general election. 

In an earlier interview, Amo told theGrio he decided to run “to stand up for women…for the fundamental freedoms, to really thrive both in our country and in our communities.”

“We see what the Republicans are doing in trying to cut Medicare and Social Security, doing nothing on gun violence…taking away freedoms like the reproductive rights of so many in our country,” he continued.

Although the 35-year-old is going to be the first Black man to represent Rhode Island’s 1^st Congressional District, he told theGrio, that he has chosen not to make that his focus.

“I am very proud of every aspect of my identity as a Black man, as someone who was the child of West African immigrants – my dad from Ghana, my mom from Liberia. All of that is important,” Amo stated. 

“But what is even more important is the job that I’m asking the people of Rhode Island and the 1st Congressional District to hire me for,” he continued.

In April 2023, Amo stepped down from his post as deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and special assistant to President Joe Biden. While a member of Biden’s cabinet, Amo was a liaison between the Biden-Harris administration and local leaders nationwide.

“It’s really important that I convert that experience of being the primary liaison between President Biden and mayors across the country,” he stated. 

Amo has decades of experience in public service and hopes to serve in a larger capacity as a congressman. 

Amo told theGrio that his first order of business is to “focus on preserving and strengthening Social Security and Medicare…fighting the climate crisis, prevent gun violence and fight for reproductive freedom.

“I’m going to fight vigorously to make sure that people have an opportunity at every part of the ladder so that we can make sure our communities are strong and ready to take on the challenges of the future,” Amo said.

“Rhode Islanders deserve a congressperson who can be effective from Day One.”

Amo will fill the congressional seat previously occupied by former Rep. David Cicilline, a fellow Democrat who left Congress during the summer to lead the Rhode Island Foundation.

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