Former state cannabis regulator Kim Ahern secured the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island attorney general following a hard-fought primary contest on Wednesday, outlasting three competitors to claim victory. Her triumph marks a significant political milestone, as she overcame an opponent backed by the state’s current top legal official to advance to the autumn ballot.
According to preliminary and unofficial vote tallies released by the Rhode Island Board of Elections, Ahern finished at the top of the four-candidate field with 37% of the total vote. Her closest rival, Keith Hoffmann, a former senior counsel and policy director in the attorney general’s office who earned the backing of the term-limited incumbent, finished in second place with 33%.
State Representative Joe Solomon Jr. of Warwick garnered 20% of the vote to place third, while state Representative Jason Knight of Barrington rounded out the field with 10.4%. The primary outcome concludes a spirited multi-candidate campaign that tested competing visions, backgrounds, and ideological approaches within Rhode Island’s Democratic Party.
With her primary victory finalized, Ahern now advances directly to the general election scheduled for Nov. 3. She is set to face Republican nominee Alan Gordon, who secured his party’s spot on the ballot after running unopposed in the GOP primary contest.
Should Ahern prevail in the November matchup against Gordon, she will make Rhode Island political history as only the second woman to ever serve as the state's attorney general. The first and only woman previously elected to the post was Republican Arlene Violet, who held the statewide office from 1985 until 1987.
Ahern’s path to the nomination was anchored in extensive service within state government and the legal system. She spent nine years working as a special assistant attorney general, serving under three distinct administrations led by former Attorneys General Patrick Lynch and Peter Kilmartin, as well as current Attorney General Peter Neronha.
During her near-decade tenure in the Department of the Attorney General, Ahern built a substantial courtroom record. Campaign materials underscored her legal experience, highlighting that she prosecuted in excess of 1,000 cases while assigned to the office’s Special Victims Unit.
Beyond her prosecutorial career, Ahern expanded her administrative portfolio within Rhode Island’s executive branch. She served as deputy counsel to former Governor Gina Raimondo before taking on the responsibilities of deputy chief of staff under Governor Dan McKee.
Most recently, Ahern served as the leader of the state’s three-member Cannabis Control Commission. She was appointed to head the regulatory panel upon its formal establishment by the state in 2023, stepping into the role after the General Assembly passed legislation in 2022 that legalized recreational cannabis across Rhode Island.
Her regulatory record at the cannabis commission became a prominent focal point during the primary campaign. Hoffmann targeted Ahern’s tenure on social media platforms, drawing public attention to the fact that zero new retail cannabis establishments had received operational licenses since the passage of the 2022 adult-use cannabis statute.
Hoffmann entered the final stretch of the primary race with a substantial financial advantage, having raised more than $1.5 million since launching his bid for the office in August of the previous year. That considerable fundraising haul included $760,000 in personal loans that Hoffmann contributed directly to his own campaign treasury.
To counter Hoffmann’s advertising blitz and campaign messaging, Ahern infused her own operation with personal funds as the primary drew to a close. She issued a $295,000 personal loan to her campaign in the final days of the race, with her team stating the expenditure was vital to respond to paid attacks launched by the Hoffmann campaign.
The race also featured distinct alternatives from within the Rhode Island House of Representatives. Solomon, who has served in the General Assembly since his initial election to the House in 2014, ran on a moderate platform and anchored his outreach around endorsements from law enforcement and firefighter labor unions, maintaining a third-place standing throughout the campaign polling.
Knight, a U.S. Navy veteran and former state prosecutor who currently practices as a criminal defense attorney, campaigned as a progressive champion. He relied on his legislative record in the General Assembly and courtroom background to appeal to the party’s left-leaning primary electorate.
On election day, candidates connected with voters across various Rhode Island communities as ballots were cast. Ahern visited Laurelmead Senior Living in Providence on Wednesday morning to cast her vote while holding her two-year-old daughter, Parker. Elsewhere, Knight engaged with local residents outside Vartan Gregorian Elementary School in Providence, while Hoffmann gathered with his wife, Rachel, and supporters at The Guild in Pawtucket to monitor incoming election returns.
With the primary campaign now concluded, Ahern turns her focus toward the general election sprint against Gordon, aiming to keep the attorney general’s office under Democratic leadership while pursuing a historic milestone for Rhode Island governance.
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