State Senator Melissa Murray Announces Candidacy for Re-election

Woonsocket, RI – Melissa Murray, Democrat, Senate District 24 (Woonsocket, North Smithfield) announces her candidacy for re-election.

With three terms of service in the Senate, Melissa brings a wealth of experience to the table. She championed an impressive number of bills this term, with 31 passing the Senate chamber and 21 signed into law. She was named Senate Deputy Majority Leader this year and received the Rhode Island Mental Health Association’s 2024 “Legislator of the Year” Award. Melissa currently serves as 1st Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, a member of the Senate Committee on Labor, and Secretary of the Permanent Joint Committee on State Lottery.

Melissa has consistently advocated for “kitchen table” policies that directly impact the daily lives of district residents. Some of Melissa’s bills that were passed into law include capping out of pocket costs for prescription drugs, eliminating onerous tangible taxes for 75% of our smallest local businesses, and increasing pension exemptions so more money stays in retirees’ pockets. Her bills prohibiting medical debt from affecting credit scores, expanding opportunities for special education students, and protecting victims of violent crimes also became law. Melissa successfully secured more education funding in the state’s budget for Woonsocket and North Smithfield, and championed expanding the Rhode Island Works Program, lifting children and families out of deep poverty.

In her statement, Melissa said, “I’m excited to be running for my fourth term in the RI Senate, representing the residents of Woonsocket and North Smithfield. I accomplished a lot this term, but there is still so much more work to be done. I vow to keep advocating for proper funding for public education, pushing back against big pharma and insurance companies that put profits over people’s well-being, and to keep fighting for economic justice for our families and children.

President Trump is heading to Asia tonight. The trip includes a high-stakes sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping [[ she jeen-peeng ]] in South Korea. China and the U.S. have been involved in a trade standoff since Trump took office for the second time. Trump will start the trip in Malaysia, which is hosting a regional summit, then he'll go to Japan, where he'll meet the new prime minister.        President Trump's extravagant new White House ballroom is getting donations from several major tech companies. The East Wing of the White House is being demolished to make way for the 90-thousand-square-foot ballroom. CNN says the ballroom donors include tech giants Apple, Meta, Google and Microsoft; and defense contractors such as Palantir and Lockheed Martin. Billionaire donors include casino mogul Miriam Adelson, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, and cryptocurrency billionaires Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.        The U.S. has struck another alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the overnight strike in a post on X Friday morning. He said the boat was operated by Tren de Aragua, which has been named a Designated Terrorist Organization. All six people on board were killed. This was the tenth strike by the U.S. military on alleged drug trafficking boats.        New York Attorney General Letitia James says she's not guilty of mortgage fraud charges. A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted the Democrat earlier this month. James has said the charges are "baseless" and that Trump's only goal is political retribution. James and President Trump have traded public insults for years, especially after the Democrat won a civil fraud case against Trump. She said the charges have "angered her soul," and she promised to do her job every day while fighting them.        House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries is handing his endorsement to Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor. He made the announcement ahead of early voting starting tomorrow. Jeffries acknowledged "areas of principled disagreement," but added Mamdani has "explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers." The New York Congressman had faced questions for months about whether or not he would endorse Mamdani. Polls show Mamdani leading former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.        UFC 321 kicks off tomorrow in Abu Dhabi. In the main event, heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will face off against former interim champ Ciryl Gane [[ ser-al gahn ]]. Aspinall is making his first defense after being promoted from interim champion due to the retirement of Jon Jones. In the co-main event, Virna Jandiroba [[ VEER-nah jah-nde-ROH-bah ]] will fight Mackenzie Dern for the vacant women's strawweight championship.