|
Dear Neighbors:
We will have the opportunity this year to elect our next Attorney General following the conclusion of Peter Neronha’s tenure. I am delighted to endorse Keith Hoffmann in September’s Democratic primary because I believe he is the best candidate to represent us at this time.
Here is why I hope you will vote for Keith, too.
To begin with, Keith is supremely qualified to serve. After joining the office in 2018 as a line attorney, Keith worked on challenging legal matters across the Office’s civil enforcement, civil defense, regulatory, and criminal divisions leading to multiple promotions, including his elevation to the office’s Executive Committee. In that position, Keith helped lead the entire Attorney General’s Office and worked closely with the Attorney General. Keith has a first-rate legal mind, excellent work ethic, high integrity, and a committed respect for the rule of law. Keith completed his service last July to begin his campaign.
While we have four capable candidates competing for the Democratic nomination, I believe Keith is uniquely qualified to best serve our State at this time, because of important recent developments at both the national level and in the evolution of our State’s Office of Attorney General.
At the national level, Attorney General Neronha and Keith realized early in 2024 that Rhode Island had to prepare for the possibility of a Trump presidency. Attorney General Neronha appointed Keith to join with other senior attorney general staff in other states to develop litigation plans to respond to that possible outcome as necessary and appropriate. When Trump took office and began to “flood the zone” with executive orders that harmed the legally protected interests of the people of Rhode Island and many other states, Attorney General Neronha was ready to push back. Keith helped to lead Rhode Island’s response to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Pam Bondi, and RFK Jr. for their unlawful attempts to harm Rhode Island.
The list of significant Rhode Island federal court victories includes (1) a preliminary order halting a wide-ranging DOGE funding freeze, (2) a preliminary order halting the termination of nearly $1 billion of public health grants to the states and (3) a preliminary order to halt the dismantling of three federal agencies that support public libraries, museums and small businesses nationwide, among others. You can view the full range of cases on the Attorney General’s web page.
Keith played a critical role in developing this plan, building working relationships within other states’ offices, and building a strategy within the Rhode Island office for the cases in which we were lead counsel. While the resulting court victories have been helpful, many cases are still pending, and many others likely will need to be filed as the Trump presidency continues its present course. I believe Keith is the best qualified candidate to protect our State’s legal interests and our citizens in this vital area.
At the local level, Attorney General Neronha built up the office’s Public Protection Bureau that conducts affirmative civil litigation. During his tenure, the staff of that team increased from fewer than five to nearly twenty attorneys. Through that growth, the Attorney General has played an important role in advancing important State priorities. For example, the Attorney General and his team required the funding of an $80 million escrow account during one of the transactions involving the Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital. As described in my February 15 letter, that initiative is a critical piece of the expected transition of those "safety net" hospitals out of bankruptcy court. As a member of the Attorney General’s leadership team, Keith assisted in planning the policies and priorities of this expanded Public Protection Bureau, from healthcare and hospitals to civil rights, to environmental protection. He is the most qualified candidate to sustain this vital mission.
More generally, we can view the Office of Attorney General as our State’s law firm, staffed by more than 100 attorneys. Through his service on the Executive Committee, Keith has first-hand experience managing our State’s law firm. Keith’s knowledge of the office’s culture and its various departments, as well as his relationships with the attorneys who staff them, provide him with unique expertise and experience to lead the office.
On a personal note, I can tell you that Keith is wonderful member of our community – a committed parent and leader. His wife Rachel is a physician serving as Director of Women’s Dermatology at the Miriam. Keith and Rachel live on the East Side, where they are raising their sons Elijah and Daniel. I was pleased to join Keith and Rachel at the Miriam Hospital’s groundbreaking last October.
| 
