Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Ian Donnis sits down for a one-on-one interview with State Senator David Tikoian. Tikoian has advanced rapidly in the leadership of the Rhode Island Senate. He first won election to the chamber in 2022 and was appointed last January as majority whip, the third-highest position. Tikoian served 25 years with the Rhode Island State Police and later became the police chief in North Providence. How did this 57-year-old conservative Democrat from Smithfield, where Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris by eight points, make the unusual leap from being a former State Police major to running for the General Assembly?

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