According to preliminary statistics, in the Democratic gubernatorial primary of Rhode Island held on Wednesday, September 9th, incumbent Governor Dan McKee lost to his opponent, former corporate executive Helena Foulkes, becoming the first Rhode Island governor in over 30 years to lose a primary election for re-election.
Preliminary vote count results reported by the Decision Desk HQ website show McKee losing by nearly a 25-point margin. He received just under 38% of the votes, while Foulkes garnered over 62%.
This was the second time the two faced off in the Rhode Island Democratic gubernatorial primary. In the 2022 primary, McKee narrowly defeated Foulkes.
However, in the current primary, McKee was defeated by a large margin by Foulkes, becoming the first Rhode Island governor in over 30 years to lose a primary for re-election and also the first governor nationwide to lose a party primary since 2018.
At 75 years old, one of the most unfavorable factors McKee faced in this election was a major bridge repair project in the state. In 2023, after state officials announced the discovery of “serious malfunctions” with the Washington Bridge, McKee closed the westbound lane of the bridge and announced it would take several months to repair.
However, the cost and time required for the bridge repair ended up being higher and longer than initially estimated, which became a major issue for Foulkes to criticize McKee’s leadership abilities.
McKee argued that he prioritized public safety, and the bridge construction would be completed by 2028.
However, pre-primary polls indicated that McKee’s response may not have been enough to appease voters, as Foulkes led in support.
Foulkes worked at the American healthcare giant CVS for 25 years and eventually served as the president of the pharmacy department from 2014 to 2018. She then went on to become the CEO of the Canadian retail giant Hudson’s Bay Company and resigned in 2020.
Rhode Island is a blue state with a Democratic majority. The Cook Political Report, an American non-partisan online political newsletter analyzing elections, rates the Rhode Island governorship as a “safe Democratic” position, which means barring any unexpected events in November’s election, Foulkes is set to become the next governor.
(Reference from the Associated Press)