Khalil Joseph Shekarchi[1] (born May 17, 1962) is an American politician currently serving as the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. A Democrat, he has represented District 23 in Warwick since January 1, 2013.[2] He was chairman of the House Labor Committee until his Democratic colleagues elected him as the House majority leader in November 2016.[3] After four years as majority leader, his colleagues elected him speaker in November 2020 following the defeat of longtime speaker Nicholas Mattiello. Shekarchi considers himself a moderate Democrat.[4]
2012 When incumbent District 23 Democratic Representative Robert Flaherty failed to qualify for the ballot, Shekarchi was unopposed for the September 11, 2012, Democratic Primary, winning with 536 votes[5] and won the November 6, 2012, General election with 4,302 votes (67.9%) against Republican nominee John Falkowski.[6]
Personal
Shekarchi is openly gay.[7] He is the second openly gay speaker of the Rhode Island House, after Gordon Fox.
