Rhode Island becomes latest state to postpone presidential primary

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) announced on Monday that the state’s presidential primary will be delayed amid the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. 

Raimondo said in a tweet that she would sign an executive order to postpone the contest from April 28 to June 2 on the advice of the board of elections. The primary will also be conducted primarily through mail-in votes, according to Raimondo. 

Last week, the Board of Elections requested that the presidential primary election be postponed from April 28 to June 2 and that the election take place primarily by mail ballot. I am following the advice of the Board of Elections, and will sign an executive order to do this.

— Gina Raimondo (@GovRaimondo) March 23, 2020

Rhode Island follows a number of other states such as Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana, Connecticut and Kentucky in postponing their primary amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

As of Monday, there were 106 coronavirus cases in Rhode Island and upwards of 41,000 in the U.S.

The virus has upended the presidential race, with Democratic candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) holding virtual events and tele-town halls. 

Biden delivered a briefing on the matter from his home in Delaware on Monday, criticizing the Trump administration’s handling of the crisis. 

“For too long, the warning signs were ignored,” Biden said. “For too long, the administration said the threats were under control, contained or like the flu. The president said no one saw this coming. That’s just not accurate. Our intelligence officials were warning about the coronavirus threat in January. Just based on public information I had, I warned the threat was getting worse way back on Jan. 27.”