PROVIDENCE – The top Republican in the R.I. House of Representatives will not seek reelection this November.
Rep. Blake A. Filippi, R-New Shoreham, who has served in the Statehouse for eight years also representing South Kingstown, Charlestown and Westerly, will not seek a fifth term after this year, per an email announcement sent Friday to supporters.
It is currently unclear why Filippi, first elected in 2014 and has been the House Minority Leader since 2019, decided against seeking a new term. Filippi did not immediately respond Friday to Providence Business News’ requests for comment, however he said in the email he had “struggled about whether to seek another term in office.”
“The time is now to step aside and for new public servants step up and serve our communities in the House,” Filippi said.
Filippi highlighted multiple matters he tackled during his time as state representative. Among them was in 2019 standing up to “immense pressure” from then House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello, D-Cranston, and refused to suspend House rules. As a result, late-night sessions and passing of “surprise bills the public never saw” ended, Filippi said.
Filippi also said he and other fellow officials “worked to expose” the merger proposal brought forward by Lifespan Corp., Care New England Health System and Brown University for being “a veritable monopoly that would harm health care delivery.” In February, R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Neronha denied the proposed merger, citing the “extraordinary” control the merged entity would have over the state’s health care system.
Moving forward, while not offering many specifics, Filippi said he intends to remain “deeply engaged” in the world.
“The art of the politics, as is the art of life, is all about human connection and the friends we make along the way,” Filippi said. “I cherish our friendships and look forward to nurturing them in the years ahead.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.