Sam Bell | |
---|---|
Member of the
Rhode Island Senate from the 5th district | |
Assumed office January 1, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Paul Jabour |
Personal details | |
Born | July 7, 1989 |
Political party | Democratic |
Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America [a] |
Spouse | Samantha Weiser |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater |
|
Profession | Geologist |
Samuel W. Bell (born July 7, 1989) is an American geologist and politician who serves in the Rhode Island State Senate representing the 5th district in Providence. A Democrat, he was first elected to the senate in the 2018 elections, and assumed office in 2019. [2] Bell is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. [3]
Bell attended Amherst College were he earned a Bachelor's degree in Astronomy and Geology. Bell also attended Brown University were he earned a master's degree in Geosciences and a PhD in Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science. [4] When not in the senate, Bell works as a geologist. [5]
Bell decided to become involved in politics as a result of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012. [5] Bell defeated incumbent senator Paul Jabour in the Democratic primary in September 2018, [6] and ran unopposed in the general election. [2] He assumed office on January 1, 2019. [7]
Bell ran for re-election in 2020, being challenged in the Democratic primary by majority leader of the Providence City Council Jo-Ann Ryan. [8] Bell defeated Ryan by 50 percentage points, and ran unopposed in the general election. [9]
In 2022, Bell proposed legislation that "would impose fines and double the taxes of those who refuse COVID-19 vaccine". [10]
Bell is married to Samantha Weiser, a chairwoman of the Rhode Island Democratic Women's Caucus who also works for Hasbro. [4] [11] Bell and his wife are both Jewish and identify as bisexual. [12] They live together in Mount Pleasant. [5] In October 2018, Bell publicly alleged that he and his wife were personally targeted with antisemitic and homophobic posts from users of the neo-Nazi forum website Stormfront. [12]
Bell and Weiser have one son, Jacob Weiser Bell, born in December 2021, who was diagnosed with infant respiratory distress syndrome after birth. [13]