The 12 candidates, in alphabetical order, are: Jeanine Calkin, Nick Delmenico, Doris De Los Santos, Bill Deware, Susan Donovan, David Norton, Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, Jim Seveney, Jennifer Siciliano, Lisa Scorpio, Teresa Tanzi and Moira Walsh.

Tanzi was the only incumbent on the list.

The news release contained narratives for 8 most recently-endorsed candidates:

1) We are thrilled to endorse Marcia Ranglin-Vassell of District 5 in her challenge against the House Majority Leader, John DeSimone. A special education teacher in Providence, Marcia is hoping to challenge established politicians that continue to put their own needs ahead of the people. Marcia has deep roots in the community, and she has also received a Woman of Achievement award from the YWCA for her work on education. DeSimone is an extremely conservative politician who has fought against core Democratic values, even once voting to ban Providence from raising the minimum wage.

2) We are delighted to endorse Lisa Scorpio from District 13, who is taking on John Carnavale. Lisa is both a community leader and true progressive. Her rival John Carnavale, who has been under police investigation before, finds himself in a similar situation after being probed by the reporters at Channel 12 News. Due to the ongoing investigation, it is unclear whether or not Mr. Carnavale’s name will appear on the ballot. Lisa is highly engaged within her community and lives within the heart of her district on Sterling Ave.

3) Our endorsement of Nick Delmenico against Pat Serpa should come as no surprise, due to Serpa’s endorsement from the NRA and record of championing the machine’s anti-middle-class agenda. Nick cites the dismal record of the Rhode Island political establishment and the need for change as his primary reasons for entering the race.

4) We would like to endorse the incumbent from District 34, Teresa Tanzi. Teresa has been one of the strongest advocates for gun control, reproductive rights, and economic justice in the General Assembly. She has held her position since 2010.

5) We are excited to endorse Doris De Los Santos in Senate District 7. She faces the NRA-endorsed Frank Ciccone, a very conservative Democrat. In 2012 Govenor Chaffee appointed Doris as the director of the Office of Municipal and External Affairs. Her opponent, Frank Ciccone, has been involved in several scandals, including threatening a police officer who had pulled over conservative Senate Majority Leader Dominic Ruggerio for drunk driving.

6) We are pleased to endorse Jim Seveney, of Senate District 11. A long-time Portsmouth resident, Jim only lost by a small margin in the last election cycle. He is currently the leader of the Democrats on the Portsmouth Town Council. He will be challenging John Pagliarini, who just last month led the fight to stop an increase in the minimum wage.

7) We are thrilled to endorse Susan Donovan, of District 69. A long-time community activist in Bristol, Susan is running to restore honor and integrity to the District 69 seat, which was recently vacated by scandal-tarred conservative Ray Gallison, after an FBI investigation. Susan is running such a strong campaign she scared the machine out of putting up a candidate in the race.

8) We would also like to endorse Moira Walsh in District 3. A waitress, community activist, and single mother, Moira will bring her perspective to a statehouse that has devastated low-income communities. Moira, who remembers having to choose between heat and electricity, will be a fierce advocate for the people of Smith Hill, who have so long been ignored by the politicians at the other end of Smith Hill.

In addition to these eight, we have already endorsed Jeanine Calkin, Jennifer Siciliano, Bill Deware, and David Norton. We will be continuing to announce more endorsements throughout the campaign cycle.

Lisa Scorpio announced her candidacy for State Representative today in House District 13 – Providence/Johnston.

“I’ve spent most of my life right here in this community.” said Scorpio, who works as an executive assistant in the Providence School System. “My grandparents immigrated to Silver Lake in the early 1900’s from Italy and I’ve always felt it was important to live here. To make sure my children thought of this place as home. I’ve worked for years to help this community grow and adapt. I’ve stood arm and arm fighting for the change we need. I’m running now to take that fight to the State House.”

Scorpio went on to paint a progressive vision for government, “I believe we need a government that is looking out for the people of Rhode Island. A government that works to make sure our streets are safe, that those who work a full week are not living in poverty, a government that confronts the problems of today. We need to pass common sense gun legislation, we need to raise the minimum wage, and we need more than anything to make a real investment in our children and our schools.”

Scorpio continued, “I’ve been serving in the Providence School system for 24 years, right here in the district for 7 years. We need to make sure our children are prepared for the future and that we act early to make sure they are taken care of. Education is key to so much of life and it’s our responsibility to make sure everyone has access.”

Regardless of the ruling in his case, Scorpio feels Carnevale’s time has passed,  “We need new voices at the State House. We need representatives who aren’t so weighed down by controversy. The work a representative does, and the votes they take, should be the story and not whether they will or will not be going to jail. A representative should be concerned with helping their constituents first and foremost and know when they have become more of a distraction than a help.”

Scorpio lives off of Sterling Ave in Providence with her son.  She attended RIC and graduated from Katherine Gibbs. She works as an Executive Assistant in the Providence School System, is a co-founder of #300women, and is a board member on numerous community organizations.

[From a press release]