Rhode Island's Silent Majority Speaks Up: Jay Gotra Nears 1,000 Signatures, Says No Party Should Rule Alone

Independent candidate says Rhode Island's independents and unaffiliated voters have stayed quiet for too long — and it's time that changed

EAST GREENWICH, RI, UNITED STATES, July 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Independent gubernatorial candidate Jay Gotra announced today that his campaign is closing in on 1,000 voter signatures this week to secure ballot access for Rhode Island's 2026 race for Governor.

Gotra, who has already gathered nearly 500 signatures from Rhode Islanders across the state, is running as an unaffiliated candidate with a simple premise: put the state's problems ahead of party lines.

"My hope in becoming Governor is to take on the responsibility — and take the blame when we fall short — so that we can actually work together as a state and solve the problems in front of us," Gotra said. "That's not a Democrat idea or a Republican idea. It's just what has to happen."

In the course of gathering signatures, Gotra said he heard a consistent frustration from Rhode Islanders: that working people are carrying a disproportionate tax burden while state social programs often fail to reach the people who need them most, including the homeless.

"I've talked to people working two jobs, doing everything right, who feel like the system doesn't reward that effort the way it should," Gotra said. "We need a smarter approach — one that doesn't just tax people harder, but actually gets help to the people who need it."

Gotra chose July 4th, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, to call on independents and unaffiliated voters across Rhode Island to unite.

"In order to move forward, we need to go back to the beginning," Gotra said. "When America was founded, there was no party. Today, Rhode Island's political landscape is really three groups: two parties, and the independents and unaffiliated voters caught in the middle, who now make up nearly half of the electorate here. But our system still lets one party win control and make decisions on its own. That's the problem. No single party should be able to govern alone. Real solutions come when parties are required to sit at the same table, work across the aisle, and reach agreement together, rather than one side simply outvoting the other and doing whatever it wants."

Gotra said Rhode Island's independent and unaffiliated voters have largely stayed quiet for years without an organized voice, and he is calling on that group to start speaking up.

"For the longest time, we've just stayed quiet," Gotra said. "That has to change. This is about uniting independents and unaffiliated voters here in Rhode Island, not around a label, but around the idea that no one party should ever have the power to make every decision alone."

The Gotra campaign expects to complete its 1,000-signature goal this week and file for ballot access shortly after.

About Jay Gotra Jay Gotra is an independent candidate for Governor of Rhode Island in 2026, running under the GRIT platform focused on fiscal accountability and economic growth. A Rhode Island resident of 24 years, Gotra has built businesses generating over $1 billion in lifetime revenue. Learn more at governorgotra.com.

Media Contact: Jay Gotra Campaign jay@governorgotra.com governorgotra.com

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