Biography
Jasjit "Jay" Gotra, a businessman and former solar-sales company CEO, is running as an independent for governor in his first campaign for office. His campaign, "Grow Rhode Island Together," pairs fiscal discipline with a pledge not to seek a second term if the state is not fiscally profitable by the end of his first.[1][2][3][5]
Gotra was born and raised in Mumbai, India, and immigrated to the United States as a teenager, American Bazaar reported.[5] He built a business career that included founding Alliance Security Inc., and he is the former CEO of Smart Green Solar, a solar sales company.[3][5] He lives in East Greenwich.[3]
Gotra filed paperwork declaring his candidacy with the state elections board on May 8, 2026, as a Democrat.[3][4] He later qualified for the November ballot as an independent.[1][2] He has said that if Rhode Island is not fiscally profitable by the end of his first four-year term, he will not run for reelection.[5]
- 1.2026 Rhode Island gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 2.Rhode Island primary election results: Foulkes and Morales topple incumbents · New England Public Media · 2026-09-10 News report
- 3.Former solar sales CEO being sued by AG launches Rhode Island gubernatorial campaign · Rhode Island Current · 2026-05-12 News report
- 4.Election26: As governor, Gotra would 'listen to the people doing the work' · Providence Business News · 2026-10-19 News report
- 5.Indian American Jay Gotra running for governor of Rhode Island · American Bazaar · 2026-06-03 News report
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
On the ballot
Full candidate research ›Governor of Rhode Island ›