Gabe Amo, a special assistant to President Biden, resigned from the White House last week to prepare a campaign for the congressional seat held by retiring Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.) in a special election this fall, according to people familiar with the efforts.
Amo, 35, a Rhode Island native who previously worked for a current senator and former governor in the state, most recently served as the White House deputy director of intergovernmental affairs, focused on working with local leaders around the country.
Until April 10, he served as a point person for local leaders to implement Biden’s legislative efforts, while also coordinating responses to national disasters and mass shootings. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the White House director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, praised Amo’s work for the Biden administration.
“He was the heart and soul of our operation who approached every task, big or small, with the attitude of, ‘Give me a shovel and show me where to dig,’” she said in a statement. “His commitment to public service and the President is second to none.”
Amo is expected to join a crowded field of Democrats hoping to replace Cicilline in the Democratic-leaning 1st District, which covers much of the eastern side of the state, including Providence, the state capital. Other expected candidates include Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, Providence City Councilman John Goncalves, several current state legislators and former state Rep. Aaron Regunberg, who lost a close race for lieutenant governor in 2018.
Cicilline announced in February, after making an unsuccessful bid for a leadership position in the House Democratic caucus, that he would retire in May to become the CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, a major funder of nonprofit community organizations in the state. Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore has scheduled a special election to replace Cicilline for Nov. 7, with a Democratic primary on Sept. 5. Candidates have until July 14 to submit nomination papers.
Amo, the son of immigrants from Ghana and Liberia, could attract high-profile endorsements to his congressional campaign, given the wide array of Democrats he has worked for in recent years. He was an adviser to former Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, who now serves as commerce secretary. He worked on the 2012 Obama campaign, in the Obama White House and on the 2020 Biden campaign. He also worked on Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s 2006 campaign.