Ken Block

Block was born in Milford, Connecticut, in 1965 and earned a B.S. from Dartmouth College.[1] A software engineer from Barrington, he founded Simpatico Software Systems in 2001, a data-mining company whose services government agencies and private businesses use to track waste and fraud.[1][5]

Block founded the Moderate Party of Rhode Island, and a 2009 court battle he waged to gain it official state recognition made it easier for third parties to gather signatures and reach the ballot, according to Wikipedia.[1] He was the party's nominee for governor in 2010 and received 6.5 percent of the vote, finishing fourth in a four-way race.[1][5] He also served as president of RI Taxpayers, a taxpayer advocacy group, until May 2013.[1] His campaign website says he was a leading voice in the effort that led state lawmakers in 2013 to eliminate the "master lever" for straight-party voting.[5]

In October 2013 Block announced he was joining the Republican Party to run for governor in 2014; he lost that primary to Cranston Mayor Allan Fung.[1][5] He has been an independent since 2020, and on April 2, 2026, he announced his third campaign for governor, this time as an independent.[1][5] His campaign website says he is running because of what he calls dysfunction and waste in state government and calls for making it more accountable, citing the state's $15 billion budget and the Washington Bridge.[2]