David Morales defeats incumbent Brett Smiley in Providence Democratic mayoral primary

Morales centered his campaign on housing affordability, specifically pushing for rent stabilization. He promised to work with the City Council to pass and enforce a rent cap within his first 100 days in office. Smiley, who campaigned on his record of building new schools and housing, argued that rent control was impractical and had previously vetoed a rent stabilization ordinance in April. Morales entered the race with endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna. He relied heavily on digital outreach and door-to-door campaigning, while Smiley spent significantly more on television advertising. Morales will face Republican David Talan in the November general election. The administration of the Providence City Council is expected to be more aligned with Morales's housing agenda following the primary results.