RI GOP Chairman Brandon Bell announces candidacy for House

CUMBERLAND — Brandon Bell, the chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party since 2015, has announced his candidacy for State Representative of District 52, representing Cumberland.

As party chairman, Bell said in a statement that he has held accountable the failings of the governor, the speaker and others at the Statehouse. Through ethics and campaign finance complaints and by being a voice against special interest deals, Bell said he has worked to change the status quo in Rhode Island.

“We need to challenge the status quo or problems will fester,” said Bell. “And yes, the status quo is powerful because people on Smith Hill have benefited from it. People who benefited from it want to keep it the same.

“We must do better than this. Our business climate and tax structure constantly ranks at the bottom when our Massachusetts neighbors, only one mile away, are thriving,” he said.

“We also desperately need good government reforms. As chairman I have been fighting to bring change. By becoming a member of the House of Representatives I will take my efforts to change the status quo directly to the Statehouse,” he said.

Bell is a practicing trial lawyer for the last 21 years, licensed in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, based in Providence at Fontaine Bell, LLP.

Born in New Jersey, Bell has resided in Cumberland for 17 of the 24 years he has lived in Rhode Island with his wife and children. He is an active member of the Arnold Mills United Methodist Church where he is liturgist and has previously served on the Cumberland Planning Board for four years.