The Renters Take Providence

On September 9 the incumbent mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, Brett Smiley, lost his reelection bid to a twenty-seven-year-old democratic socialist named David Morales. It was the first time an incumbent mayor failed to win his party’s primary in the city’s history, and the latest in a wave of progressive victories over establishment Democrats that began with Zohran Mamdani last year.Under the slogan “A Providence for All,” Morales emphasized the cost-of-living crisis, public education, protecting immigrants, and a Mr. Rogers-style neighborliness. He cut a whimsical figure on the campaign trail, in his signature bright blue suit and floral tie. In videos shot around the city, he shook hands with passersby as they recounted their struggles to pay rent, cover bus fare, and educate their children. The Smiley campaign spent more than $1.7 million, the lion’s share on television ad buys (much of it fear-mongering attacks on Morales for being soft on crime). The Morales campaign raised about $500,000, mobilized thousands of volunteers, and knocked 80,000 doors in a city of 190,000 people.More than anything else, Morales ran on housing, which has become the animating issue in Rhode Isla...