State Representative Brandon Potter

It’s January 6th and the first day back of a new session of the Rhode Island General Assembly.

It’s both a day of remembrance and a call to action.

Five years ago today, I was a state legislator for one day when the President of the United States incited a violent mob to ransack the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power. My first act as a legislator was submitting this resolution condemning the attack and honoring the lives lost. No matter how hard the right-wing propaganda machine tries to manipulate the public in real time, that day will be remembered in history as an attack on our democracy itself, and a moment of profound shame for our nation.

But January 6 didn’t happen in a vacuum. There can be no denying that what led us there, and to the reelection of an insurrectionist felon as President was, in part, a Democratic Party that for decades drifted away from standing up for working people and instead grew far too comfortable cozying up to corporate America.

As Senator Bernie Sanders once said: “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working-class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.”

In this moment, Rhode Island Democrats have an opportunity to lead by example.

We can show what a Democratic Party in power should look like right now: one that governs with conviction and stays true to its values. But that requires reckoning with the economic injustice that brought us here. It means rejecting corporate influence, standing up to concentrated wealth, and putting working-class people first.

We do that by making 2026 the year we finally Tax the Rich.

The top 1% of earners, who are those making over $625,000 a year, can afford to pay a little more so we can protect Rhode Islanders from the devastating and cruel healthcare cuts coming out of Washington, D.C. But this isn’t just about revenue or even protecting our most vulnerable. It’s about restoring faith in the Democratic Party and in democracy itself.

Because the same lobbying voices that year after year block efforts to tax the wealthy are the same voices that tilted our economy so heavily toward those at the very top that millions of people stopped believing the Democratic Party was on their side. Let us not forget that loss of trust is what created the opening Donald Trump exploited in the first place.

If Democrats want to defend democracy, we have to make it work for people again. That means putting working-class families first, taking on corporate power, and proving through action that our party can still be a force for good in people’s lives.

January 6th is a reminder of what happens when democracy fails. This legislative session is a chance for us to show how Democrats help save it.

CC: Rhode Island Democratic Party, Cranston Democratic Party of RI, Rhode Island House of Representatives, Governor Dan McKee

There are moments when language fails us entirely. The loss of Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov is one of them.

Two remarkable young people, full of promise, possibility, and life, gone in an instant for no reason that will ever make sense.

Our community is grieving deeply. And while questions will come, and explanations will be searched for, nothing should distract us from remembering their names, their lives, and the families left to carry this loss.

May we hold their names close. May we honor who they were, and keep their families and loved ones in our hearts.

Yesterday, I officially became an attorney.

I was sworn into the R.I. Bar by Justice Goldberg in front of some of the most important people in my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who was there — and to all who helped me get here.

Thank you to Speaker Joe Shekarchi for moving my admission and arranging such a meaningful swearing-in ceremony. 🙏 Truly a day I’ll never forget.

With gratitude,

Brandon Potter, Esq. ⚖️

Had a great time joining many colleagues from the House & Senate last night at Rosecliff Mansion in Newport to recognize Rep. Marvin Abney and Senator Lou DiPalma for their dedication to preserving our state’s historic and cultural landmarks. Congratulations!

Glad to finally make it into — one of the newest small businesses to open shop here in District 16. Great coffee and great service!