After losing the race for House District 21, located primarily in Hoxsie, Conimicut and Pilgrim Park, in the General Assembly by 38 votes in 2022, Marie Hopkins is taking another stab at the office.

Hopkins, 51, is hoping to increase Warwick’s number of elected GOP officials. Currently, the only Warwick Republican holding elected office is Anthony DeLuca, in Senate District 29.

Though it took her some time to decide whether she’d run again, Hopkins eventually decided to give the seat another shot in order to increase the number of Republicans within the General Assembly.

“I believe we need to bring all voices to the table,” she said. “It’s not just Democrat versus Republican, it’s that it can’t be all one side, you’ve got to have some balance. Without balance, there’s no dialogue, and ultimately, what the people need is for legislators to be having dialogue amongst themselves. That’s how we get the best representation.”

She also struck up a friendship with her 2022 opponent, Camille Vella-Wilkinson, who has held HD-21 for the past eight years who Hopkins has really come to value as a friend.

The race, she said, taught her a lot about her community, and gave her the opportunity to meet community members she otherwise wouldn’t have meet.

“Win or lose, I really [got to] know my community, and I think that’s something that most of us don’t really get,” Hopkins said. “My takeaway is that our voters, our taxpayers, are not so divided as Washington, D.C. would have you believe.”

Initially, Hopkins wasn’t going to be the only member of her family seeking elected office. Her husband Steven took out declaration papers for Ward 4, also running as a Republican. He dropped out of the race last week.

That decision, Marie said, was made in order to help consolidate the family’s resources on her campaign, though she noted her husband is still interested in running in the future.

“My husband already worked two jobs- how thin can you spread yourself, really?” Hopkins said. “It just wasn’t the best thing for us at the time.”

Marie and Steven have three children, two daughters in graduate school and one son who is a junior in high school.

Her top priorities in the General Assembly would be housing-related, as well as economic. The housing crisis, Hopkins said, has reached an urgent level and has compounded Rhode Island’s economic issues.             

As a registered nurse, she also considers healthcare an issue close to her heart, and would make it a priority as well.

“My brother’s a primary care doctor, and I know from that waiting lists are backlogged,” “Healthcare reform and everything that encompasses- I consider myself a bit of an expert there. I think I can bring a lot to the table.”

Hopkins’ opponent in the general election will be Ward 4 Councilman James McElroy, a Democrat. Hopkins and McElroy have mutually decided they will run positive campaigns, focusing primarily on their accomplishments rather than criticizing one another..

“There’s no need. You present your best self, you give your opponent the opportunity to present their best self, and you let the voters decide,” Hopkins said. “Mudslinging- I don’t think that’s right.”

Hopkins looks forward to re-introducing herself to the voters of HD-21. She said she would strive to work towards a bright future if elected.

“For the most part, we’re all just looking for a better future and to better the future for our children, and to find the right pathway forward,” Hopkins said. “We all kind of want the same things.”