Enrique Sanchez (politician)

Enrique G. Sanchez (born July 10, 1996) is an American politician representing the 9th district in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in November 2022.[1] Sanchez serves on the House Corporations Committee and the House Special Legislation Committee.

Sanchez graduated from Rhode Island College in 2019 with a degree in public relations.[1] His grandfather, Enrique Sánchez Mora, immigrated from Mexico to the United States and settled in Providence, Rhode Island.[2]

Sanchez's brother, Miguel Sanchez, represents Ward 6 (the Manton and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods) on the Providence City Council. The brothers' districts are located near each other but do not overlap.

At around 3:00 AM local time on Monday, February 3rd, 2025, Sanchez was pulled over by a Cranston police officer after failing to accelerate at a green light. Sanchez appeared disoriented, and, according to the report, attempted to hand the officer a red debit card before reaching for his ID. Sanchez was subsequently arrested on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence before being released on a $1,000 personal recognizance. A pre-trial conference for his case is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2025.[3]

Electoral history

2022

In the Democratic primary, Sanchez challenged endorsed incumbent Anastasia P. Williams, who had held the seat since 1992, prevailing by 14.4 percentage points. Sanchez, endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, successfully defeated Williams from the left.[4] He was unopposed in the general election.

2022 Rhode Island House of Representatives District 9 – Democratic primary[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Enrique George Sanchez	802	53.6
	Democratic	Anastasia P. Williams	587	39.2
	Democratic	Lonnie L. Mangum	108	7.2

2022 Rhode Island House of Representatives District 9 – General election[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Enrique George Sanchez	1836	96.8	+23.8
	Write-in		60	3.2	+2.3

2024

Williams, who changed the spelling of her first name to Anastacia,[7] returned in an attempt to unseat Sanchez in 2024. A third candidate, Santos Javier, who had previously unsuccessfully run twice for the Ward 15 seat on the Providence City Council (which includes District 9's Olneyville and Silver Lake neighborhoods), also ran. In a campaign rife with allegations of impropriety, primarily against Javier,[8] Sanchez successfully defended his seat in the Democratic primary. His predecessor finished a distant third. Sanchez will be unopposed in the November general election.

2024 Rhode Island House of Representatives District 9 – Democratic primary[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Enrique G. Sanchez	606	53.8	+0.2%
	Democratic	Santos Javier	295	26.2	New
	Democratic	Anastacia P. Williams	225	20.0	−19.2%

References

1. "State of Rhode Island General Assembly". www.rilegislature.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
2. Farzan, Antonia Noori (September 16, 2022). "Providence's Sanchez brothers credit Mexican American roots in their big wins for the left". The Providence Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
3. "WATCH: Bodycam video shows drunk driving arrest of RI state Rep. Enrique Sanchez". WPRI.com. 2025-02-03. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
4. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/05/11/metro/ri-house-race-buzzes-with-controversies-involving-elon-musk-dj-rukiz/
5. https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2022/statewide_primary/races/90.html
6. https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2022/general_election/races/54.html
7. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/08/15/metro/longtime-ri-state-representative-anastacia-williams/
8. https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/2024/08/20/so-many-accusations-in-providence-house-democratic-primary-contest-so-little-time-to-investigate/
9. https://www.ri.gov/election/results/2024/statewide_primary/races/98.html