Sen. Ryan Pearson on what’s next for the RI Senate after a split in calls for new leadership

Ryan Pearson’s term as the second-ranking member of the Rhode Island Senate will formally end Tuesday. During a Democratic Senate caucus in November, Pearson lost a challenge to Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, and Senate Whip Val Lawson won the support to take over Pearson’s role in the legislative session starting next week. More fallout is expected. All this comes as legislators will wrestle with a big budget deficit and thorny issues including housing, healthcare and the economy. Pearson and his supporters say they were motivated by how Ruggerio, now 76, missed large parts of the last session due to various health issues. But was it a smart play to pursue the challenge against Rhode Island’s longest-serving lawmaker, and will that hurt the Senate’s ability to get things done in the new session?

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