Sam Bell – Rhode Island State Senate – District 5
One of Rhode Island's Leading Progressive Activists
Endorsed by Our Revolution - Rhode Island!
Meet Sam:
My mother raised me to be a Democrat.
She raised me to believe that everyone--no matter who they are, where they come from, or who they love--deserves an equal shot. When I saw the Tea Party start to threaten the America I believe in, I got angry, and I got involved.
Then I found out what was happening in Rhode Island. I was horrified. The top Democrats in both the State House and the State Senate have taken thousands of dollars from the NRA. Our state passed one of the biggest tax cuts for the rich that any state has ever passed in American history.
I'm running to restore core Democratic values to our state. I believe we can resist the Trump agenda here in Rhode Island. I believe we can repeal the tax cuts for the rich. I believe we can pass common-sense gun control reforms. And I believe we can build a Rhode Island that will be a model for the rest of our country.
One of Rhode Island's leading progressive activists, Sam has spent the past six years fighting for common-sense Democratic reforms.
Sam has been involved in the Rhode Island gun safety movement since Newtown. He successfully led the campaign finance investigation that exposed the NRA's illegal scheme for funneling national money into Rhode Island elections. As a result of his investigation, the NRA's Rhode Island PAC had to shut down until they paid a historic $63,000 fine.
Sam chaired the Stop the Stadium Deal campaign, which successfully defeated the plan to use hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to move the PawSox to the site of the planned waterfront park on the I-195 land.
He has been involved in numerous progressive Democratic campaigns in our state, and he led the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats for several years.
He is a strong believer in resisting the Trump agenda, and he served as a board member of Indivisible Rhode Island.
Sam holds a PhD in geophysics from Brown University, and he currently works as a data scientist. He lives in Mt. Pleasant with his girlfriend, Samantha, who works as a game designer at Hasbro.
REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE:
A staunch supporter of reproductive rights, Sam has spent years fighting to protect a woman's right to choose. He has spoken out vocally against the recently enacted abortion coverage restrictions. Unfortunately, most sitting Rhode Island State Senators, including the incumbent, are endorsed by the radical anti-choice group "Right to Life."
Sadly, our state is the only blue state to have an F rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America, and we have many dangerous anti-choice laws on the books that will snap back into place if Trump's Supreme Court repeals Roe v. Wade. That is why Sam believes we must pass the Reproductive Healthcare Act to codify Roe v. Wade into Rhode Island Law. We must protect our families. Sam was proud to organize a canvass to support the Reproductive Healthcare Act, and as your State Senator, he will fight tirelessly to pass it into law.
GUN VIOLENCE:
After 20 first graders were murdered in the tragedy at Newtown, Sam felt heartbroken. He knew he had to do something to protect Rhode Islanders from gun violence. When he talked to people about the NRA’s power in our statehouse, the conversation always came back to one thing: all of money that the NRA was funneling to top Democrats in our state.
So he launched an investigation into where the NRA’s funds came from, uncovering an illegal scheme to funnel national money into our state. As a result of his investigation, the NRA's Rhode Island PAC had to shut down until they paid a $63,000 fine, and the flow of illegal money stopped.
After Sam got the NRA's illegal funding scheme shut down, Rhode Island was finally able to pass some much-needed gun control, specifically a bill taking guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
Sam was proud to volunteer on that campaign, along with so many incredible activists from around our state. But we need to do more. Sam supports banning military-style assault weapons, strengthening our mental health background checks system, and banning guns from schools and bars.
THE ENVIRONMENT:
As a scientist, Sam knows we need to combat the climate crisis. He supports carbon pricing and an aggressive expansion of solar and wind power. Unlike the incumbent Senator, he supports the Block Island wind farm. Sam opposes expanding fossil fuel infrastructure in our state, and he will fight to stop the Burrillville power plant and the Providence liquified natural gas terminal.
HEALTHCARE:
When Trump tried to slash Medicaid by rolling back ObamaCare, Democrats resisted. We spoke out, we protested, we made phone calls, and our representatives in Congress stood strong and voted no.
But that’s a fight we haven’t taken on here in Rhode Island. In budget after budget, the incumbent Senator has voted for deep cuts to Medicaid. After hundreds of millions of dollars of cuts to Medicaid, we’ve seen heartrending suffering in our state. Provider after provider has closed. Memorial Hospital has gone under, and others are teetering on the edge of collapse. Sam believes it is time to stand up and resist. Sam believes it is time to repeal the Medicaid cuts.
Sam believes that healthcare is a human right. No Rhode Islander should have to worry that they won't be able to afford care. That's why Sam worked to help get a Rhode Island Medicare for All bill introduced in the General Assembly, and he looks forward to fighting for universal healthcare as your State Senator.
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