Helena Foulkes defeats McKee in Rhode Island’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, making Gov. Dan McKee the first sitting governor in the United States to lose a party primary since 2018.
McKee’s loss ends his campaign for a second full term and is the first time in more than three decades that a Rhode Island governor has been unseated in a primary.
Foulkes, a former top executive at CVS and at retailer Hudson’s Bay, was not the only challenger to topple an incumbent on Wednesday. Providence’s mayor also lost his Democratic primary to David Morales, a 27-year-old democratic socialist backed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
For Foulkes, the victory was a sharp turnaround from 2022, when she narrowly fell short against McKee in a crowded primary. That race ended tensely when McKee declined to accept her concession call.
In their rematch, questions around McKee’s handling of the emergency closure and replacement of a key span in the capital loomed large. The Washington Bridge shutdown in 2023, due to safety issues, fueled voter frustration over costs and delays.
Foulkes tapped into public anger over the bridge project’s pace and price tag, arguing the McKee administration was not delivering for everyday Rhode Islanders.
“We may have won the Democratic primary for governor, but let me be clear about what happens next: You will have a governor for everyone,” Foulkes said at her Providence victory event. “There is so much work that needs to be done, and we need to do this together.”
McKee tried to cast Foulkes as a wealthy executive who ignored the opioid crisis while at CVS, asserting his own record was stronger. In his Providence concession, he pledged cooperation to ensure a smooth transition.
“This is something that I think is difficult to deal with, but we just got to hold our heads high,” McKee said, adding he keeps his head high because “the work we’ve done together is really special.”
Incumbent governors seldom lose primaries. The last Rhode Island example was in 1994, when Democratic Gov. Bruce Sundlun fell to state Sen. Myrth York amid controversies and voter fatigue as York ran on reform.
In a separate shakeup, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, 47, lost his reelection bid in the Democratic primary to Morales. Beyond Sanders, Morales also drew support from U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna and several prominent labor unions. Smiley has served as mayor since 2022.
McKee has held the governor’s office since 2021. In 2023, he ordered the closure of the Washington Bridge, a crucial Interstate 195 link over the Seekonk River that connects Providence to its eastern suburbs and Massachusetts’ south coast, and serves Cape Cod traffic in summer.
Transportation officials identified a critical failure in an older section of the bridge. Demolition and replacement have taken longer than initially projected, with traffic compressed into fewer lanes on a newer span and commutes lengthening. McKee argues his choices prioritized safety and says construction will finish by 2028. He has often contrasted the timeline with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in 2024 after a ship strike, noting Rhode Island’s project should be completed first.
Foulkes’s political roots include her grandfather and uncle, former Connecticut Democratic U.S. Sens. Thomas and Chris Dodd. She spent 25 years at CVS, rising to president of its pharmacy division from 2014 to 2018, then served as CEO of Canada’s Hudson’s Bay until 2020. Pressed about her record at CVS, Foulkes has said the company cut opioid dispensing by 40 percent during her tenure. In 2022, after her departure, CVS agreed to a $5 billion nationwide settlement over the toll of opioids without admitting wrongdoing.
The last governor to lose a primary before McKee was former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, who narrowly lost the 2018 Republican nomination to Kris Kobach.
In the Republican primary for Rhode Island governor, Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino were locked in a tight race separated by only a few hundred votes with most ballots counted. Guckian is a trade association executive and the GOP’s 2022 nominee for lieutenant governor. Pelino is a former actor making a first run for office. The state Republican Party has endorsed Guckian.
Helena Foulkes defeats McKee: what comes next
Foulkes signaled a general-election message focused on competence and delivering results on infrastructure and affordability, while McKee said he would work to ensure continuity through the transition. Rhode Island voters will next weigh the Democratic nominee against the eventual Republican challenger.
Foulkes, a former top executive at CVS and at retailer Hudson’s Bay, was not the only challenger to topple an incumbent on Wednesday. Providence’s mayor also lost his Democratic primary to David Morales, a 27-year-old democratic socialist backed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
McKee has held the governor’s office since 2021. In 2023, he ordered the closure of the Washington Bridge, a crucial Interstate 195 link over the Seekonk River that connects Providence to its eastern suburbs and Massachusetts’ south coast, and serves Cape Cod traffic in summer.
Transportation officials identified a critical failure in an older section of the bridge. Demolition and replacement have taken longer than initially projected, with traffic compressed into fewer lanes on a newer span and commutes lengthening.
Foulkes’s political roots include her grandfather and uncle, former Connecticut Democratic U.S. Sens. Thomas and Chris Dodd. She spent 25 years at CVS, rising to president of its pharmacy division from 2014 to 2018, then served as CEO of Canada’s Hudson’s Bay until 2020.
In a separate shakeup, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, 47, lost his reelection bid in the Democratic primary to Morales. Beyond Sanders, Morales also drew support from U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna and several prominent labor unions, including some that have been active in recent cycles as Labor Day campaigns mark final push in midterm races.
He has often contrasted the timeline with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in 2024 after a ship strike, noting Rhode Island’s project should be completed first.
