U.S. House, Rhode Island 2nd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District?
Seth Magaziner has the strongest record in Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District. Seth Magaziner scores 55 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Victor Mellor at 50, as of October 6, 2026. Seth Magaziner's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Seth Magaziner
55 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 44
Republican
Victor Mellor
50 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Seth Magaziner
- Mark against2025-03-28
Said he would not move into the 2nd District, reversing his 2022 pledge to live there; he remains a resident of Providence's East Side.
Sources: Boston Globe, March 28, 2025, NBC 10 News, March 28, 2025
- On the record2026-01
Voted with Republicans and against Democratic Leader Jeffries on the Deporting Fraudsters Act, joining 19 other Democrats.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 94, 2026
- On the record2023-2026
Missed 137 of 1,917 House roll call votes, 7.1 percent, the GovTrack lifetime rate for his service.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Victor Mellor
- On the record2026-06
Registered under federal law as a foreign agent for Cuba-related business; the June filing listed a Florida home address, which his campaign called a clerical error.
Source: NBC 10 News, Aug. 25, 2026
- On the record2026-08
Has lent his campaign $2.175 million and given it more than $735,000 of his own money.
- On the record2025-10
Moved back to Rhode Island in 2025 after about 30 years in Florida and registered to vote in Warwick before filing for Congress.
Sources: Providence Journal via Yahoo News, Nov. 2025, NBC 10 News, Aug. 25, 2026
- On the record2021-01-06
Says he joined the Jan. 6, 2021 protest of the 2020 result and went into the U.S. Capitol; he was not charged and says he did nothing illegal.
Sources: NBC 10 News, Aug. 25, 2026, Rhode Island Current, Sept. 9, 2026
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Seth Magaziner. Pledged in 2022 to live in the 2nd District, moved to Cranston, then moved back to Providence's East Side and in March 2025 said he would not relocate. 2025 annual disclosure filed May 15, 2026.
Sources: Boston Globe, March 28, 2025, NBC 10 News, March 28, 2025, House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075328
Victor Mellor. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 20, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or official finding found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Seth Magaziner. In 2025 and 2026 voted against Democratic Leader Jeffries and most Democrats on several bills, including the CLASS Act, the TRACE Act and the Deporting Fraudsters Act.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 312, 2025, CLASS Act, House Clerk Roll Call 314, 2025, TRACE Act, House Clerk Roll Call 94, 2026, Deporting Fraudsters Act
Victor Mellor. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Seth Magaziner. A televised 2nd District debate on WPRI was scheduled for Oct. 9, 2026, and his office reports a town hall in East Greenwich.
Sources: WPRI, Sept. 25, 2026, Office site, home page
Victor Mellor. Debated his primary opponent once on WJAR in August 2026, and a WPRI 2nd District general election debate was scheduled for Oct. 9.
Sources: Rhode Island Current, Sept. 9, 2026, WPRI, Sept. 25, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Seth Magaziner. General treasurer from 2015 to 2023 and U.S. representative since 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics finding found.
Sources: GovTrack, Seth Magaziner, House Committee on Ethics site search
Victor Mellor. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Seth Magaziner. Has held sworn statewide and federal office since 2015; took his House seat in January 2023, after the January 2021 count. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: GovTrack, Seth Magaziner
Victor Mellor. Former Marine. Says he entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to protest the 2020 result, which he still calls stolen; he was not charged. No vote or court filing to reject certified results is on record.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Victor Mellor, NBC 10 News, Aug. 25, 2026
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Seth Magaziner. In the U.S. House since January 2023, now completing his second term, after eight years as Rhode Island general treasurer.
Source: GovTrack, Seth Magaziner
Victor Mellor. Started a concrete forms company in Florida that his son now runs; Marine veteran. First-time candidate for office.
Sources: NBC 10 News, Aug. 25, 2026, Rhode Island Current, Sept. 9, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Seth Magaziner. Ranking member of the Homeland Security subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence; publishes issue pages on education, energy, health care and jobs.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Victor Mellor. States positions on manufacturing jobs, energy, the border and gun rights in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Victor Mellor
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Seth Magaziner. Offers a newsletter, publishes issue pages, holds town halls and agreed to a televised debate. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Seth Magaziner
Victor Mellor. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey and publishes issue pages.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Victor Mellor, Campaign site
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Seth Magaziner. Lives on Providence's East Side, in the 1st District, not the 2nd District he represents, as he has acknowledged. FEC by-state totals show about 70 percent of itemized individual contributions from Rhode Island.
Sources: NBC 10 News, March 28, 2025, Boston Globe, March 28, 2025, FEC contribution totals by state
Victor Mellor. Woonsocket native who lived in Florida about 30 years and registered to vote in Warwick in 2025. A June 2026 federal filing listed a Florida home, which his campaign called a clerical error.
Sources: Providence Journal via Yahoo News, Nov. 2025, NBC 10 News, Aug. 25, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Seth Magaziner. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 20, 2026, with no debts. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Victor Mellor. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 20, 2026; the campaign is funded mostly by $2.175 million in candidate loans. No FEC fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, Rhode Island Current, Sept. 9, 2026
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Seth Magaziner. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.278 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.522, meets expectations. GovTrack lists no enacted bill he sponsored.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Victor Mellor. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Seth Magaziner. Missed 137 of 1,917 roll call votes, 7.1 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Victor Mellor. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Seth Magaziner. Runs a district office in Warwick and offers federal agency help. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, home page
Victor Mellor. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Seth Magaziner. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.95290 in the 2023 House scores (118th Congress, first session), ranked 320 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Victor Mellor. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Seth Magaziner. No public record found.
Victor Mellor. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District?
Seth Magaziner has the strongest record in Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District. Seth Magaziner scores 55 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Victor Mellor at 50, as of October 6, 2026. Seth Magaziner's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District in 2026?
Seth Magaziner (Democratic, incumbent), Victor Mellor (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Seth Magaziner a good candidate for Congress?
Seth Magaziner scores 55 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 44 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Victor Mellor a good candidate for Congress?
Victor Mellor scores 50 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 50 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Rhode Island race scored, and the Rhode Island 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.