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Zachary Hurwitz of Narragansett is too young to havecast a ballot in a stateelection before, but he's not too young for Rhode Islandersto make him governorthis November.

In between shifts at the Coffee 'NBagel Connection on Boston Neck Roadandpreparing forclassesat the University of Rhode Islandin the fall, the18-year-old North Kingstown High School graduatecollected the 1,000 signatures necessary to qualify for the gubernatorial ballot, according to Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea's office.

"During my sophomore year, during COVID,while people were sitting around and watching 'Tiger King,' I wasresearching thetopic, and I realized I could do it," he said Friday. "Politics hasalways been a big part of my life."

The top issue on his platform is making the stateprovide free lunches and breakfasts to all students at public K-12 schools.

Rhode Island Primary Voting Guide: Everything you need to know to get your ballot

Hurwitz, whose father is president of health care research company Clarity Science,said he is running as an ideological moderate to "work across party lines."

He wasn't eligible to vote in the 2020 presidential election, and he said he was not sure whom he would have voted for if he had been.

It's a long shot, to say the least, but if Hurwitz wereelected he'd be the youngest Rhode Island governor ever.

William Spraguewas 30 when he became governor in 1860, the youngest to do so under the state Constitution, according to State Librarian Megan Hamlin-Black. (William CoddingtonJr. of Newport was 32 when he entered office in 1683 under the old Royal Charter.)

The lastindependent to be elected governorwas Lincoln Chafee in 2010.That year Hurwitz was 6.

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To be eligible to become governor, you have to be18 years and 30 days old on Election Day. Hurwitz reached that ageby the end ofMay.

He is the first candidate to make the ballot for governor who was born in the 21st century.

Five other candidates declared to run for governor as independents (which includes members of the Libertarian Party), but none filed the necessary signatures to get on the ballot.

That includes vaccination mandate criticPaul Rianna Jr., who came up 48 signatures short, according to Gorbea's office.

Libertarian Elijah Gizzarelli came up 61 signatures short andis challenging the rejectionof some of his signatures.

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Candidates or interestedpartieshad until 4 p.m. Friday to challenge any signatures that were not accepted and might have allowed them to qualify, or to challenge the validity of signatures that were submitted.

According to Johnathan Berard, Gorbea's deputy director of communications, there were 10 challenges filed, including Gizzarelli's.

They include the campaign manager for Warwick DemocraticSenate candidate Jennifer Rourke challenging the signatures handed in by Michael Carreiro for the Senate seat being vacated by Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey.

Rep. Brianna Henries, D-East Providence, ischallengingAshley Pereira, who is challenging her in the Democratic primary for House District 64.

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Back in the governor's race, five Democrats qualified for the Sept. 13primary ballot: Matt Brown, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, Nellie Gorbea, Dan McKee and Luis DanielMuoz.

There will also be a Republican primary for governor, as JonathanRiccitelli qualified along with thebetter-funded Ashley Kalus.

Riccitelli came in a distant fourthplace, with 2.7% of the vote, in his2018runas an independentto become lieutenant governor. He later applied for appointment to the post by McKee, who chose someone else.

Riccitelli bills himself as the "only 100% Rhode Islander Running for Governor [as a]Republican."

He describes Kalus, a relative newcomer to Rhode Island who has built her name recognitionwith nonstop TV and radio ads since spring, as a "woman who at one point lived here in her past. Left to a better state that could meet her family's needs. Then came back when her husband was awarded $7 millionplus contract to do covid testing sites."

A self-described small-business owner, the 40-year-old Riccitelli who has not yet reported raising or spending any campaign money explained in a press release he posted on his Facebook page in May why he wants to be governor.

"Firstly, because I have the sensibility and more than the capabilities to redirect the atmosphere of what the current and prior administrations have left or are leading Rhode Islanders to live with. But mostly because I was asked by a good number of residents, that said I should and now is that time."

Over in the 2nd Congressional District, there won't be a Republican primary unless Donald Robbio is successfulchallenging the rejection of signaturesthat leaves him82 namesshort of appearing on theballot against Allan Fung.

Moderate Party Chairman William Gilbert, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018, made the general election ballot for the 2nd District. (Gilbert took 2.7% of the vote in 2018.)

In 2014, some Republicans believed the 69,000 votes Robert Healey received for the Moderate Party cost Fung the governor's race in his 4-point loss to Raimondo.

Six Democrats made the ballot for the 2nd Congressional District primary: Omar Bah, Spencer Dickinson, Joy Fox, Seth Magaziner, Sarah Morgenthau and David Segal.

In the General Assembly, nineRepublicans who filed to run for the Senate and 18 candidates who filed to run for the Housefailed to return nominating papers or meet the signature threshold.

That leaves43 Republicans seeking seats in the House and29 in the Senate for a total of 72.

Barring last-minutedevelopments, five Senators are cruising to reelectionwithout opposition, as well as 18 House members. The unopposed are: Sens.Jessica de la Cruz,Ana Quezada, Hannah Gallo, Joshua Miller and Leonidas Raptakis; and Reps.Nathan Biah, John Lombardi, Scott Slater, Jose Batista,JacquelynBaginski, Arthur Handy, Thomas Noret, Sherry Roberts, Samuel Azzinaro, Mary Ann Shallcross Smith, Stephen Casey, William O'Brien, Joshua Giraldo, Karen Alzate, Terri Cortvriend, Marvin Abney, Alex Finkelman and Lauren Carson.

In the lieutenant governor's race, Sabina Matos, Cynthia Mendes and Deborah Ruggiero made the ballot for the Democratic primary, but former state Rep. Larry Valencia, who in May said he would run on a platform of eliminatingthe office, did not collect enough signatures to qualify.

Aaron Guckian and Paul Pence will face off for the GOP lieutenant governor nomination, while Ross McCurdy qualified for the general election ballot as an independent.

Democrat Peter Neronha and Republican Charles Calenda qualified for the attorney general ballot with no independents making it.

Democrats James Diossa and Stefan Pryor made the ballot for general treasurer, and James Lathrop made the ballot as aRepublican.

In the race for secretary of state, Gregg Amore will face Stephanie Beaute in the Democratic primary. Anthony Tamba is challenging the ruling that he came up 28 signatures short.

Pat Cortellessamade the ballot as a Republican.

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A college freshman for governor? See who made and missed the Rhode Island ballot - The Providence Journal