WARWICK – For the first time in eight years, the Rhode Island Republican Party has a new executive director.
The party formally announced Thursday that Jesus Solorio, a Chicago native with more than a decade of political, government, banking and financial experience, is the new executive director of the RIGOP. Solorio is the party’s first executive director since it brought on Robert A. Paquin III in 2014.
According to the RIGOP, Solorio – who began his tenure as the local GOP’s director on March 1 – previously worked with the Illinois Republican Party, including as its senior outreach director, and was an independent political consultant working with candidates on the local, state and national levels. He also worked with Bruce Rauner when he was Illinois governor from 2015 through 2019, the RIGOP said.
“I am thrilled and excited to join the Rhode Island Republican Party as executive director. I look forward to doing my part to increase Republican influence in the Ocean State,” Solorio said in a statement.
RIGOP Chairwoman Susan Cienki told Providence Business News Thursday that the party now had the funding to bring aboard a new executive director, which had not been the case for the last few years. Since the recent Virginia and New Jersey November elections, Cienki reached out to the Republican National Committee and Republican Governors Association for recommendations on someone who has at least three to five years of political experience as a possible candidate for the RIGOP executive director, she said.
“In particular, it would be nice to have someone from a [Democratic-dominant] ‘Blue state’ and somebody that knows how to win in a ‘Blue state,’” Cienki said. “That was our goal.”
As a result, Cienki said, more than 100 candidates were interviewed by the RIGOP before it selected Solorio for the executive director position. Solorio will also take over the role as its chief operating officer. She said Solorio’s hiring is a “great opportunity” for the RIGOP to “build on the momentum” that the party sees going on around the country, where Republicans have been critical of President Joe Biden’s administration on various policies.
With Solorio’s hiring, Cienki said the RIGOP’s goal is for it to increase its presence at the statewide level, such as providing resources candidates seeking office in the R.I. General Assembly. Cienki also said Solorio’s hiring also gives her some support in running the “all-volunteer” organization.
“I really needed someone in that role who can be in the office and really help put soup to nuts,” she said.
As far as a possible GOP gubernatorial candidate, Cienki said an unnamed candidate has indicated on announcing “this month” his or her intentions to run for Rhode Island governor, but it is unclear when specifically that announcement will come.
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.
