Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee loses Democratic primary to former CVS executive
Washington Examiner · RC · trust 72/100
Gov. Dan McKee (D-RI) on Wednesday lost Rhode Island’s Democratic primary to former CVS executive Helena Buonanno Foulkes, making him the first incumbent governor in years nationwide to lose renomination.
Just before 9 p.m., Foulkes was leading McKee 62.5% to 37.5% with 80% of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press . The development comes after Foulkes placed a close second behind McKee in a five-way primary in 2022. Wednesday’s results were not unexpected, as she had held a wide lead in polls leading up to the election.
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Both Foulkes and McKee ran as relatively mainstream Democrats, but Foulkes sought to frame herself as an outsider willing to shake up Providence.
“I’m running against people’s belief that the status quo is maybe just as good as we’re ever going to be,” Foulkes told Politico Playbook last month as she proposed funding 20,000 new housing units with a millionaires tax. “It’s so important that people feel a sense of momentum and energy … because I think oftentimes government doesn’t feel urgent to people, and their lives are really hurting.”
McKee, 75, appears to be the first sitting governor of Rhode Island to lose a primary in over three decades. He is the first of either party to lose a primary for reelection since at least 2018.
McKee’s sweeping loss comes after Foulkes outspent him on the airwaves by a 3-to-1 margin, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
During her campaign, she seized on frustration over his handling of the Washington Bridge, a commuter thoroughfare in Providence. McKee closed the westbound span in 2023 after officials discovered critical failures in the structure. The work to replace the bridge is still ongoing and is not scheduled to be finished until 2028.
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