(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Rhode Island’s Gabe Amo sworn in to U.S. House, increasing Democratic ranks – Daily Montanan [1] ['Jennifer Shutt', 'More From Author', '- November'] Date: 2023-11-14 WASHINGTON — Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Gabe Amo became the state’s first Black congressman on Monday when he was sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives. Amo joins Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse as well as Rep. Seth Magaziner in Washington, D.C. as the fourth member of the state’s congressional delegation. All four are Democrats. Amo said during a floor speech just after his swearing in that he was hopeful for the future and mentioned Rev. Mahlon Van Horne, the first Black man elected to the Rhode Island Statehouse. “Reverend Van Horne’s dream and the dreams of those who have called Rhode Island home across generations allow me to stand before you today,” Amo said. “And while we have not arrived at our final destination in this project of our democracy, I am optimistic,” Amo said. “As a Rhode Islander, it’s easy for me. After all, our state model is hope. It is hope that led my parents to come from West Africa, my dad from Ghana, my mom from Liberia to pursue opportunity in the greatest country in the world.” Following Amo’s swearing-in, the number of Democrats in the House rose to 213. Republicans control 221 of the seats, an especially narrow margin heading into next year’s elections. A Republican is favored to win a special election in Utah on Nov. 21. Amo said during a brief phone interview with States Newsroom on Monday afternoon that he’s interviewing candidates for the roles of chief of staff and district director. He said he plans to announce his picks in a matter of days, not weeks. Securing committee assignments that could be beneficial to the state is at the top of Amo’s list as well, and he’s already spoken with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries about which panels he’d like to join. “That will be something that I’m going to fight vigorously for,” Amo said. Improving retirement security, reducing gun violence and ensuring Rhode Island residents have the ability to secure jobs are among Amo’s top legislative priorities, he said. Those goals could be accomplished through committee work or advocacy, he said. Ultimately, though, Amo said he’s going to stay plugged into the needs of his district. Magaziner introduced Amo on the House floor following his swearing-in, noting that his new colleague would be making history. “As one of the original 13 states, Rhode Island has been electing representatives to the House since 1790 and in those 233 years, Rhode Island has never sent an African American or any person of color to Congress until today,” Magaziner said. “But Gabe Amo will be the first to tell you he did not come here to make history, he came here to make a difference.” Amo won a special election last week to fill the seat for the remainder of this Congress, but he will need to run for election to a full, two-year term next November. That shouldn’t be especially challenging given that he won with 65% of the vote over Republican challenger Gerry Leonard. Amo won a crowded Democratic primary in early September with 32.4% of the vote, roughly 3,000 more votes than the second-place finisher. Following the swearing-in on the House floor, Amo officially became the congressman for the seat that was vacated earlier this year when former Rep. David Cicilline resigned to become president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation. Amo now represents the state’s 1st Congressional District, covering Eastern parts of the state, including Woonsocket, East Providence, Tiverton and Newport. The rest of the state falls into the 2nd Congressional District, represented by Magaziner. House leaders haven’t yet released Amo’s committee assignments, but will likely do so in the coming weeks. Until then, he will be able to vote on the floor, including a crucial vote later this week to fund the government for a couple more months, avoiding a partial government shutdown that could begin this week. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/11/14/rhode-islands-gabe-amo-sworn-in-to-u-s-house-increasing-democratic-ranks/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/