Magaziner wins reelection to US House

Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner held onto his seat in Tuesday’s election, defeating Republican Vic Mellor in the race for Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District.

Magaziner, 43, of Providence, won his third term representing a district he technically does not live in with 61.3% of the vote.

Mellor, 56, a Warwick businessman and Marine veteran, captured 38.5% of the vote. He had defeated East Greenwich oral surgeon Dr. Stephen Skoly in September’s Republican primary. 

Polls in Rhode Island closed at 8 p.m. The Associated Press called the race at 8:36 p.m. with 42% of the vote counted.

While Republicans control both the House and Senate by a slim margin, Democrats need only pick up a net four seats in each chamber to take over Congress. All 435 House seats are up for election while a third of the Senate seats are.

There was never much doubt that both Magaziner and U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, who represents Rhode Island’s 1st District, would prevail. The Cook Political Report’s House Race Ratings predicted both seats would remain solidly Democrat.

The day after Mellor won his primary, Magaziner seized on Mellor’s participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, march on the U.S. Capitol as one of the talking points against his Republican contender, and held a press conference outside the State House to denounce Mellor, who showed up to listen. 

Mellor, largely self-financed his campaign with nearly $3 million in loans, plus another $765,000 in contributions, and spending about $3.8 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings as of Oct. 14. 

Magaziner’s campaign reported spending around $909,000 during the election cycle. He entered the final weeks of the campaign season with a reported $1.58 million cash on hand, compared to Mellor, who had about $44,000 remaining in his account and approximately $2.96 million still owed in outstanding loans.

Magaziner won his 2024 contest with 58.2% of the vote.

He will begin his next two-year term in January 2027.