Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins defeated his Republican primary challenger, State Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, in a heated faceoff Tuesday, clinching 58.8% of the vote. Fenton-Fung, despite her best efforts, could only muster 41.2%, leaving Hopkins firmly in the driver’s seat for another term.
Hopkins, who first took Cranston’s top job in 2020, will now square off against Democrat Robert Ferri, a City Council member, in November. Ferri cruised through his own primary without a challenge, but the real battle lies ahead. Cranston, Rhode Island’s second-largest city, hasn’t had a Democrat in the mayor’s office since 2007.
The election wasn’t without its share of drama. Hopkins dodged not only political jabs but also a lawsuit that claimed he swiped a vintage sports car. That didn’t seem to faze voters, who handed him a decisive win at the polls.
Now, all eyes are on the November 5 general election, where Hopkins will try to hold the line against Ferri in what promises to be a heated fight for Cranston’s future.
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