Kellie Keenan

Kellie Keenan earned a high school diploma from Boston Latin School. She later earned an advanced certificate in public health management from Suffolk University. Keenan's career experience includes working in public administration.[1][2][3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Kellie Keenan, and I am a Republican candidate for Congress in Rhode Island’s First District.

I am a wife, mother of three daughters, public health professional, small business owner, and proud American who believes our best days are still ahead of us. After spending more than a decade working on the front lines of healthcare and community programs, I have seen firsthand what works, what doesn’t, and how government can better serve the people it was created to help.

I am running because Rhode Island families deserve affordable housing, lower energy costs, stronger schools, safer communities, secure borders, and a government that respects taxpayers and parental rights. I believe in limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, strong families, and the opportunity for every American to build a better future.

As a lifelong New Englander, I love this country and the freedoms that make it exceptional. I am not a career politician—I am a working mom who believes it is time for a new generation of leaders to step up, solve problems, and put America and Rhode Island families first.

I am running to defend the American Dream and ensure it remains within reach for future generations

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My top priority is infrastructure modernization and permitting reform.

Rhode Islanders are paying the price for aging infrastructure, rising costs, and a permitting process that slows progress at every turn. From bridges and roads to housing and energy projects, government red tape drives up costs and delays solutions.

In Congress, I will support efforts to streamline permitting, modernize infrastructure, and reduce unnecessary regulations so projects can be built faster and more efficiently. By cutting bureaucracy and encouraging investment, we can create jobs, increase housing supply, strengthen energy reliability, and improve quality of life for Rhode Island families.

It’s time to build again and restore confidence that government canHealthcare is one of my top priorities, particularly strengthening Community Health Centers and expanding access to primary care.

Having spent more than a decade working on the front lines of community health, I understand the challenges patients, providers, and healthcare organizations face every day. Community Health Centers are a critical lifeline for working families, seniors, veterans, and vulnerable populations, yet many face workforce shortages, administrative burdens, and funding uncertainty.

In Congress, I will advocate for policies that strengthen Community Health Centers, expand the healthcare workforce, reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, and improve access to affordable, high-quality care. Rhode Islanders deserve a healthcare sysEnergy affordability and housing affordability are two of the biggest challenges facing Rhode Island families.

Rhode Islanders pay some of the highest energy costs in the country while housing remains increasingly out of reach for working families and young people. We need practical solutions that lower costs and expand opportunity.

In Congress, I will support an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes reliable domestic energy production, nuclear energy, natural gas, and emerging technologies to improve energy security and reduce costs. I will also advocate for permitting reform, reducing unnecessary regulations, and expanding housing development—particularly starter homes and small multifamily housing—to help more families achieve

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My primary policy interests are healthcare, infrastructure, housing, energy, education, and child welfare reform.

Professionally, I have spent more than a decade working in healthcare and community health operations, giving me firsthand experience with Medicaid, federally funded programs, Community Health Centers, and the challenges facing patients and providers.

I am also passionate about infrastructure modernization, permitting reform, housing affordability, energy reliability, educational excellence, parental rights, and improving outcomes for children and families involved with child welfare systems. My focus is on practical, results-oriented policies that strengthen families, expand economic opportunity, improve government efficiency

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Rhode Island Republican Party

Note: Keenan submitted the above survey responses to [the profile publisher] on June 18, 2026.

Show past responsesHide past responses

May 22 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Kellie Keenan is an independent candidate for the U.S. House representing Rhode Island’s First Congressional District. She has a professional background in healthcare and public health operations, with experience focused on systems, operations, and organizational improvement.

Through her work, Keenan has observed how government policy, administrative burden, rising costs, and inefficient systems impact patients, providers, families, and local communities. Her campaign focuses on issues including affordability, healthcare access, housing, energy costs, infrastructure, government accountability, and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy.

Keenan is also a mother raising a family in Rhode Island and says many of the issues motivating her campaign come from concerns shared by everyday Rhode Islanders, including economic pressure, community stability, and confidence in the future.

She is running as an independent candidate because she believes many voters feel politically disconnected from both major parties and are looking for more practical, transparent, and community-focused representation in Congress.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Kellie Keenan believes the economy should work for working families, small businesses, and local communities — not just large corporations and political insiders. Rhode Islanders are struggling with rising housing costs, high energy bills, inflation, taxes, and increasing financial pressure while wages are not keeping pace with the cost of living.

Her campaign focuses on reducing unnecessary regulation, supporting small business growth, lowering energy costs, improving infrastructure, and creating conditions that allow families to build financial stability and long-term opportunity.

Keenan believes economic policy should prioritize affordability, workforce participation, entrepreneurship, and restoring confidence in the American middle clHousing affordability is one of the most urgent issues facing Rhode Island families. Many working people can no longer afford to buy homes, pay rising rents, or stay in the communities where they grew up.

Kellie Keenan believes the housing crisis is being driven by rising costs, excessive regulation, infrastructure limitations, and policies that make it difficult to build attainable housing for working and middle-class families.

Her campaign supports reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, improving infrastructure, encouraging responsible development, and expanding pathways to homeownership so young families, seniors, and longtime Rhode Islanders can build stable futures in the state.Kellie Keenan believes healthcare policy should focus on improving access to care, supporting providers, and strengthening local healthcare systems. Rhode Island continues to face physician shortages, long wait times, provider burnout, and increasing administrative burden that affects both patients and healthcare professionals.

Her campaign supports expanding the healthcare workforce, reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, improving provider recruitment and retention, and ensuring community health centers remain financially stable and accessible for the populations they serve.

Keenan believes healthcare systems function best when policy supports strong provider-patient relationships, operational efficiency, and practical solutions that improve

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Kellie Keenan is most passionate about healthcare policy, affordability, housing, government accountability, and protecting constitutional and parental rights.

With a background in healthcare and public health operations, she is particularly focused on improving healthcare access, addressing physician shortages, reducing administrative burden, and strengthening community healthcare systems.

She is also concerned about the rising cost of living facing Rhode Island families, including housing costs, energy bills, taxes, and barriers to economic stability. Her campaign supports practical policies that reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, support working families and small businesses, and improve government transparency.

Keenan believes public po