RI attorney general candidates find common ground before policy clashes emerge late in debate

Rhode Island’s four Democratic candidates seeking to succeed term-limited Attorney General Peter Neronha found common ground on most issues during a two-hour debate Thursday evening, though the cordial tone turned more contentious toward the end.

Kim Ahern, Keith Hoffmann, Rep. Jason Knight, and Rep. Joe Solomon sat before over 100 people inside the community room at Southside Cultural Center in Providence for a “justice and policy debate” hosted by OpenDoors. The discussion was moderated by Nick Horton, co-executive director of the nonprofit that helps formerly incarcerated people, those struggling with addiction and other unhoused people. 

Questions from Horton and other community advocates focused on police accountability, bail reform and automating the expungement of criminal records — issues candidates each supported to varying degrees.

On police accountability, Knight and Hoffmann both backed creating a process to revoke the certification of officers found to have committed serious misconduct. Solomon said the attorney general should enforce the law “against any individual who commits any offense,” while Ahern pledged to reopen field offices in overpoliced communities so residents could more easily share their experiences with prosecutors.

“Those closest to the problem are closest to the solution,” Ahern, a former state prosecutor and previous chairperson of the Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission, said.

All four candidates rejected blanket policies to hold probation violators without bail and instead endorsed individualized assessments. 

Differences began to show when a community advocate asked whether the four supported closing the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls amid its close partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Knight was generally supportive, but said he wanted to meet with community members first since the facility also houses federal pretrial detainees whose families would otherwise have to travel out of state.

“Generally speaking, I think Wyatt was a mistake,” Knight said.

The other three candidates also stressed the potential consequences of moving detainees farther from Rhode Island.

“A lot of them will end up in Florida, Texas, and New Hampshire,” Hoffmann, who was previously chief of policy and senior in Neronha’s office, said. “Our attorneys will not as easily be able to bring habeas petitions on their behalf.”

They became more critical of each other when asked how they would distinguish themselves on policy. 

Knight, who has spent the last 10 years representing parts of Barrington and Warren in the State House, highlighted his support for the 2019 law that codified Roe v. Wade at the state level.

“Joe Solomon voted against that bill,” he said. “That’s a lukewarm response to an issue from one of the candidates up here on an issue that is critical to all of us.”

Solomon, who has represented portions of Warwick since 2015, defended his vote by noting it came before the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The 2022 ruling overturned the constitutional right to an abortion and gave states the authority to ban the procedure.

“Once that Dobbs decision happened, it changed the entire landscape,” Solomon said. “I am committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.”

The moderate Democrat further noted his votes in favor of the 2023 law allowing state Medicaid money and state employee health insurance to fund abortion care, and legislation passed in 2024 that defends doctors’ ability to provide reproductive health services and gender-affirming care.

Hoffmann also noted Solomon’s vote last year against the law that bans the manufacture and sale of certain assault-style weapons, which took effect at the start of July.

“I guess everyone is going to come after me tonight,” Solomon said.

Solomon agreed that illegal weapons should be taken off the streets, but that state gun laws may target lawful gun owners

“Even though they have fancy names and whatnot, if you look at the details they encompass people just like you and me who may potentially be committing a crime because of how it was written,” he said.

The final question — how each candidate would approach lawsuits against President Donald Trump’s administration — quickly shifted back to police accountability, re-entry programs and the diversity of the attorney general’s office after several audience members raised the issues.

Hoffman responded with the need for the state to further fund the Police Officers Commission on Standards and Training. Knight pledged to work with State House leaders to get more resources for housing and other resources to help formerly incarcerated people get back on their feet. Ahern said she would hire more diverse attorneys with lived experiences if she were elected. Solomon closed the debate pledging to stick around and answer everyone’s questions — as did the other candidates who held small conversations with community members.

Early voting begins Aug. 20 for the Sept. 9 primary. The winner will face Republican Alan Gordon in the Nov. 3 general election.