In 1993, Brown helped to start
City Year in Rhode Island, the first expansion site of the model national service program that brings together diverse young adults ages 17–24 for a year of full-time community service and leadership development. From 1995-1998, Brown served as Executive Director of
City Year Rhode Island.
Secretary of state of Rhode Island At age 32, in his first campaign for public office, Brown defeated the incumbent Secretary of State in the Democratic primary, and went on to win the general election with 68.7% of the vote. Brown served as
secretary of State of Rhode Island from 2003 to 2007. He developed Rhode Island’s first Central Voter Registration System, a computerized voter registration system ensuring accurate voter lists and he launched Motor Voter e-Registration, a first-in-the-nation electronic voter registration system. He established new lobby regulations increasing public disclosure of the links between lobbyists and elected officials and created Lobbytracker, a web-based tool making lobbyist monthly financial reports available to the public online.
2006 U.S. Senate campaign In 2005, Brown declared his intention to run for the
United States Senate in 2006, challenging incumbent Republican Senator
Lincoln Chafee, but withdrew from the race and endorsed another Democratic candidate,
Sheldon Whitehouse, who went on to win the general election.
Global Zero Brown is Co-Founder, with
Bruce G. Blair, of
Global Zero, a non-profit international initiative for the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide. Since its launch in Paris in December 2008,
Global Zero has grown to 300 leaders, including current and former heads of state, national security officials and military commanders, and 400,000 citizens worldwide; developed a practical step-by-step plan to eliminate nuclear weapons; launched an international student campaign with 75 campus chapters in eight countries; and produced an acclaimed documentary film,
Countdown to Zero, in partnership with
Lawrence Bender and
Participant Media.
Gubernatorial candidacies Brown declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor of Rhode Island in early-2018, challenging incumbent Democrat
Gina Raimondo. Brown received the endorsement of several progressive organizations, including
Justice Democrats,
Bernie Sanders-affiliated organization
Our Revolution, and the
Progressive Democrats of America. Brown also received support from Senator
Lincoln Chafee (whom Brown had once sought to challenge), former
NARAL president
Kate Michelman, and feminist activist
Gloria Steinem. Brown lost the primary to Raimondo. Brown ran for governor in the
2022 gubernatorial election. He lost in the Democratic primary on September 13, 2022. ==References==