Sen. Jack Reed Wins Sixth Term to Lead Senate Armed Services Committee

The gavel of the Senate Armed Services Committee is headed to Providence. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) won election to a sixth term on Nov. 3, defeating Republican Raymond McKay and independent Michael Bahry by roughly 37 percentage points.

With Democrats reclaiming the Senate majority nationally, Reed stands to assume the committee chairmanship when the new Congress convenes in January—a post that hands him the pen on defense appropriations, military spending oversight, and subpoena power over President Donald Trump’s defense nominees. For Rhode Island, the win extends his tenure in the upper chamber to nearly three decades and cements his status as the state’s most senior voice in Washington.

Jack Reed wins 6th term in US Senate

A 37-Point Margin That Outran the Polls

The unofficial returns from the Rhode Island Board of Elections show Reed capturing 235,276 votes, or 66.60% of the total, compared with McKay’s 103,996 votes (29.44%) and independent Michael Bahry’s 13,328 votes (3.77%). Write-in candidates collected 685 votes. Reed’s margin of 131,280 votes dwarfed the 29.3-point lead shown in the RealClearPolitics polling average covering Oct. 5-31, and also exceeded the 29.2-point margin in the Legis1 polling average based on 11 surveys through Oct. 31.

Major forecasters had long rated the seat safely Democratic; the Cook Political Report listed it as Solid Democratic as of Nov. 2, while Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections carried the same rating. The Kalshi prediction market displayed a 100% probability of a Reed victory when retrieved Nov. 4, though that figure appeared alongside returns and does not represent a verified pre-election closing probability.

Money Talks: A $4.6 Million Fundraising Gulf

The financial disparity between the campaigns was stark. Federal Election Commission records indicate Reed collected $4,814,652.66 and spent $4,940,507.75 from January 2021 through Oct. 14, leaving him with $1,883,532.16 in cash on hand. During the current two-year reporting period alone, he raised $3,727,368.44. McKay, by contrast, reported just $207,230.98 in receipts from January 2025 through Oct. 14, with $8,357 in cash on hand. The figures cover different reporting periods, so they do not provide a directly comparable ratio, but the absolute gap exceeded $4.6 million.

Outside spending in the race was negligible. Independent expenditures identified in the contest came to just $10, representing one June 10 transaction by Sierra Club Independent Action in support of Reed during the Democratic primary.

Instagram

Three Decades of Seniority

Reed first entered Congress in 1991 as a U.S. House member before winning his Senate seat in 1996, taking office on Jan. 3, 1997. By January, he will be completing his 30th year in the Senate, placing him among the chamber’s most senior Democrats. His current committee assignments include the Appropriations Committee—where he serves on the Defense, Military Construction, and Commerce, Justice, Science subcommittees—and the Select Committee on Intelligence in an ex officio capacity.

That seniority now converges with the Armed Services chairmanship. The committee controls the annual defense authorization bill, a must-pass vehicle that sets military pay raises, weapons procurement levels, and base realignment decisions. For Rhode Island’s defense sector, the post carries concrete weight. Reed serves on the Appropriations Committee and, as ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, is positioned to assume its chairmanship in January, giving him greater influence over defense policy and military spending.

Rhode Island Results: Jack Reed Wins Re-election

The Primary That Wasn’t Close

Reed’s path to the general election was similarly unobstructed. During the September 9 Democratic primary, Reed captured 76.8% of the vote, ahead of Connor Burbridge (13.4%) and Luis Daniel Muñoz (9.8%), amassing 127,985 total votes—more than six times the 20,350 cast in the Republican primary, where McKay faced no opposition.

During the general election campaign, McKay called on Reed to return $8,000 in contributions from two donors later indicted in an alleged $20 million fraud scheme. According to The Back Door, which reported the story on Oct. 23, the indictment allegations remained unresolved at publication, and the outlet noted there was no evidence Reed knew of or received illegally obtained money.

Legislation Waiting in the Wings

Beyond oversight, Reed has legislative priorities queued for the 119th Congress. On Sept. 24, he introduced S. 5549, the Quality Educator Partnership Act, alongside Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). The bill, referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, would establish programs to strengthen the educator workforce through teacher preparation, recruitment and retention initiatives.

The results remain unofficial pending certification by state election officials, but with all 40 cities and towns reporting, the outcome is not in doubt. Reed’s 66.60% share came as Democrats won control of the Senate nationally.