Gina Raimondo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gina Raimondo
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2021
|
|
| 40th United States Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office March 3, 2021 – January 20, 2025 |
|
| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | Don Graves |
| Preceded by | Wilbur Ross |
| Succeeded by | Howard Lutnick |
| 75th Governor of Rhode Island | |
| In office January 6, 2015 – March 2, 2021 |
|
| Lieutenant | Dan McKee |
| Preceded by | Lincoln Chafee |
| Succeeded by | Dan McKee |
| 30th Treasurer of Rhode Island | |
| In office January 4, 2011 – January 6, 2015 |
|
| Governor | Lincoln Chafee |
| Preceded by | Frank Caprio |
| Succeeded by | Seth Magaziner |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gina Marie Raimondo
May 17, 1971 Smithfield, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Andrew Moffit
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) New College, Oxford (MA, DPhil) Yale University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Gina Marie Raimondo (born May 17, 1971) is an American businesswoman, lawyer, and politician. She served as the 40th U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2021 to 2025. Before that, she was the 75th governor of Rhode Island from 2015 to 2021. She was the first woman to hold the governor's role in Rhode Island.
Raimondo grew up in Rhode Island. She started her career in venture capital, helping new businesses grow. In 2000, she helped start Point Judith Capital, the first venture capital firm in Rhode Island. She entered politics in 2010, becoming the general treasurer of Rhode Island. In this role, she worked to improve the state's pension system for public employees.
In 2014, Raimondo was elected governor. She was reelected in 2018. As governor, she managed the state's first response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was known as a "moderate technocrat," meaning she focused on practical solutions. In 2021, President Joe Biden chose her to be the Secretary of Commerce. She helped with important negotiations for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gina Marie Raimondo was born in 1971 in Smithfield, Rhode Island. She is the youngest of three children. Her father worked at a watch factory in Providence. He lost his job when the factory moved overseas.
Raimondo went to LaSalle Academy in Providence. She was one of the first girls to attend this Catholic school and graduated as the top student. She then studied economics at Harvard College, graduating in 1993. At Harvard, she played rugby, which she joked was good training for politics.
She later became a Rhodes Scholar and studied at New College, Oxford. She earned a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy degree there. In 1998, she received her law degree from Yale Law School. She has said that helping people at housing clinics inspired her to study law.
Starting Her Career
After law school, Raimondo worked for a federal judge. She then became a senior vice president at Village Ventures, a venture capital firm.
In 2001, Raimondo returned to Rhode Island. She helped start Point Judith Capital, the state's first venture capital firm. The company later moved to Boston. At Point Judith, Raimondo focused on health care investments. The firm grew to manage over $100 million and helped many businesses.
Rhode Island General Treasurer (2011–2015)
Becoming Treasurer
In 2010, the current general treasurer decided to run for governor. Raimondo saw this as a chance to use her business skills. She announced her plan to run for the position. She emphasized her business background during her campaign. She promised to use her role to encourage banks to invest more. She also wanted to help people learn about managing money and protect them from unfair loans. On November 2, 2010, Raimondo won the election, becoming the general treasurer.
Key Actions as Treasurer
One of her main goals was to fix Rhode Island's public employee pension system. In 2010, the system had only 48% of the money it needed. In 2011, she helped lower the expected investment return rate for pensions.
She also released a report called "Truth in Numbers." This report suggested reducing benefits to solve the pension problems. A new law, the Rhode Island Retirement Security Act (RIRSA), was passed in 2012. This law aimed to make the pension system more stable.
Raimondo also created the Ocean State Investment Pool (OSIP). This program helps the state and cities manage their money better. It aims to improve investment returns by combining funds. The program started in 2012 and is now managed by Fidelity Investments.
She also worked to lower the highest interest rate allowed on payday loans in Rhode Island. She believed these loans trapped people in debt. She wrote articles and spoke out in favor of reforms.
Governor of Rhode Island (2015–2021)
Elections and Leadership
In 2014, Raimondo ran for governor of Rhode Island. She won the Democratic primary election. On November 4, 2014, she won the general election with 41% of the votes.
She was chosen as the vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) for the 2018 election cycle. In 2019, she became the chair of the DGA. She was reelected as governor in 2018. This made her the first candidate to win a majority of votes for that office since 2006.
Achievements as Governor
Raimondo was the first female governor of Rhode Island. During her time in office, she was recognized for cutting taxes each year. She also reduced many state regulations. She increased the state's minimum wage and created a sick-leave benefit for workers. She also started the largest infrastructure program in the state's history. Community colleges in Rhode Island became tuition-free under her leadership. She appointed more judges of color than previous governors, including the first Black woman to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
As governor, Raimondo led Rhode Island's first response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her state worked with CVS to achieve high levels of COVID-19 testing.
Challenges as Governor
A new computer system for health and human services, called UHIP, faced many problems when it was launched in 2016. Many people lost access to important programs like food stamps due to software glitches. The state received warnings that the system was not ready, but it was launched anyway. This led to delays in benefits and other issues. The federal government investigated the problems.
The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) also faced challenges during her time. There were concerns about the safety of children in the department's care. Raimondo appointed a new director, and the department worked to improve its services. They focused on placing children in licensed foster homes instead of group settings. This led to a big increase in foster homes and a decrease in children in group care.
National Politics
In early 2020, Raimondo supported Michael Bloomberg for president. She became a national co-chair for his campaign. When Bloomberg ended his campaign, Raimondo quickly supported Joe Biden. She said it was time to unite behind Biden.
In May 2020, some people suggested Raimondo as a possible running mate for Biden. In April 2025, Raimondo mentioned she was thinking about running for President of the United States in 2028.
Secretary of Commerce (2021–2025)
Becoming Secretary
After the 2020 presidential election, Raimondo was considered for a cabinet position in the Biden administration. On January 7, 2021, President Biden announced he would nominate her to be the Secretary of Commerce. The Senate confirmed her nomination on March 2, 2021.
.jpg)
Work as Secretary
Raimondo was sworn in on March 3, 2021. She became known as a strong negotiator for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. She was the only Cabinet member not to attend Biden's first State of the Union address in 2022 because she was chosen as the designated survivor. This means she would have taken over if something happened to other leaders.
She was seen as a "technocratic moderate" who worked well with businesses. She focused on practical solutions. She met often with leaders from Wall Street and technology companies. She was called the government's "point woman on AI" policy.
During her time, the Department of Commerce took action against companies selling spyware technology. She also worked on cybersecurity policy with other officials. She issued orders to Chinese telecommunications firms, saying their technology could be a national security risk. She also co-chaired the Trade and Technology Council.
Raimondo faced some criticism for her views on technology companies. She expressed concern that a European law, the Digital Markets Act, might unfairly affect U.S. tech companies like Google and Apple. Some critics said she was lobbying for "Big Tech."
In September 2024, Raimondo received criticism for a comment she made about former President Donald Trump. She said, "Let's extinguish him for good," which caused backlash because it was made shortly after an assassination attempt on Trump.
In November 2024, Raimondo spoke about artificial intelligence (AI) at a meeting in San Francisco. She talked about the potential risks of AI and questioned why people would allow AI to replace them or cause widespread job loss.
Chip Policy
As Secretary of Commerce, Raimondo helped lead the U.S. response to the global chip shortage. She pushed for laws to increase the making of computer chips in the U.S. She argued that the chip shortage was a threat to national and economic security. She also worked to prevent companies like Nvidia from selling advanced AI chip technology to China. In July 2023, her government email account was hacked in a breach linked to China.
.jpg)
Foreign Relations
.jpg)
In September 2021, Raimondo accused China of not respecting the intellectual property rights of U.S. companies. She said China had created barriers for American businesses.
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, her department put in place export controls. These controls limited Russia's access to military technology. In March 2022, Raimondo warned that Chinese companies selling computer chips to Russia would face consequences.
From August 27 to 30, 2023, Raimondo visited China. She met with several Chinese officials to discuss trade and economic issues. They announced a working group on business topics.
On March 11, 2024, Raimondo visited the Philippines as part of a U.S. Presidential Trade Mission. She announced over $1 billion in U.S. investments. These investments included training opportunities for Filipinos in digital skills and artificial intelligence.
Response to Port Strike
On October 1, 2024, a major strike began at 37 ports in the eastern and south central U.S. This strike affected trade. Raimondo was criticized for saying she was "not particularly involved" in the issue the day before the strike. She referred questions to the White House and the Transportation Secretary.
Personal Life and Recognition
On December 1, 2001, Gina Raimondo married Andrew Kind Moffit. They have two children and live in Providence. Raimondo is a Catholic.
She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). She has received awards from various organizations. In 2014, she was elected an alumni fellow of Yale.
In January 2025, the CFR announced that Raimondo would join them as a distinguished fellow. In February 2025, she signed with the Washington Speakers Bureau to give speeches.
Community Service
Raimondo serves as vice chair on the board of Crossroads Rhode Island. This is the largest organization helping homeless people in the state. She also served on the boards of La Salle Academy and Family Service of Rhode Island.
See also
In Spanish: Gina Raimondo para niños
- List of female governors in the United States
- List of female United States Cabinet members
- COVID-19 pandemic in Rhode Island
