Helena Foulkes Defeats Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee in Democratic Primary/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Helena Foulkes defeated Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee in the Democratic primary, ending his campaign for a second full term. McKee became the first sitting U.S. governor to lose a party primary since 2018 and the first in Rhode Island since 1994. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley also lost his primary, while the Republican gubernatorial nomination remained closely contested.
Quick Look
- Foulkes defeated McKee in a rematch of their 2022 primary.
- McKee had served as Rhode Island’s governor since 2021.
- Voter frustration over the Washington Bridge project became a central campaign issue.
- Foulkes pledged to govern for all Rhode Islanders.
- McKee promised a “smooth transition.”
- Providence Mayor Brett Smiley lost to David Morales.
- Morales, 27, was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna.
- Foulkes previously held senior leadership positions at CVS and Hudson’s Bay.
- Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino were separated by only a few hundred votes in the Republican primary.
Deep Look
Foulkes Defeats a Sitting Governor
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Former business executive Helena Foulkes defeated Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee in Wednesday’s Democratic primary, ending the incumbent’s bid for a second full term.
McKee became the first governor in any state to lose a party primary since Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer was defeated in the 2018 Republican contest. He was also the first sitting Rhode Island governor in more than three decades to suffer a primary defeat.
Foulkes previously challenged McKee in 2022 but narrowly lost in a larger field of Democratic candidates. McKee notably declined to take her concession call that night.
The rematch gave Foulkes an opportunity to turn public frustration with McKee’s administration—particularly its handling of the Washington Bridge replacement—into support for her campaign.
Foulkes Promises to Govern for Everyone
Foulkes addressed supporters in Providence after securing the nomination and emphasized cooperation following a divisive campaign.
“Tonight, 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. “Because there is so much work that needs to be done, and we need to do this together.”
Foulkes had argued during the campaign that the cost and pace of the bridge project demonstrated that McKee’s administration was not functioning effectively for Rhode Island residents.
McKee, meanwhile, portrayed Foulkes as an out-of-touch corporate executive and criticized her record at CVS during the opioid crisis.
McKee Promises an Orderly Transition
McKee conceded the race in Providence and said he would cooperate with Foulkes.
He promised to help 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 that he has his head “very high because I know the work we’ve done together is really special.”
McKee had served as governor since 2021. His defeat marked the first time since 1994 that Rhode Island voters rejected a sitting governor in a party primary.
That year, Democratic Gov. Bruce Sundlun lost to state Sen. Myrth York while seeking a third term. Sundlun faced several controversies and voter fatigue, while York campaigned as a reform candidate.
Washington Bridge Dominates the Campaign
McKee’s handling of the Washington Bridge replacement was a defining issue in the primary.
The bridge carries Interstate 195 across the Seekonk River, connecting Providence with its eastern suburbs and communities along the southern Massachusetts coast. It also serves summer travelers heading toward Cape Cod.
McKee ordered the westbound side closed in 2023 after transportation officials identified a “critical failure” in an older portion of the structure.
Traffic continued using the newer side of the bridge but was compressed into fewer lanes. The arrangement created congestion and longer commuting times.
Demolition and replacement work took longer than McKee’s administration initially estimated, contributing to voter dissatisfaction that Foulkes highlighted throughout her campaign.
New Bridge Expected to Open in 2028
McKee maintained that closing the bridge protected the public and said its replacement would be completed in 2028.
Rhode Island transportation officials now say construction will take approximately 25 months and that traffic lanes on the new westbound bridge are scheduled to open on Nov. 3, 2028. The structure is being designed for an anticipated 100-year service life and will serve about 80,000 vehicles daily.
McKee frequently compared the project with the replacement of Baltimore’s larger Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in 2024 after being struck by a container ship. Six construction workers were killed.
He argued that Rhode Island’s Washington Bridge would reopen before the Baltimore bridge replacement is completed.
Foulkes Brings Extensive Corporate Experience
Foulkes worked at CVS for 25 years and eventually served as president of its pharmacy division from 2014 until 2018. She later became chief executive of Canadian retailer Hudson’s Bay and left that position in 2020.
Politics also runs in her family. Her grandfather, Thomas Dodd, and uncle, Chris Doddrepresented Connecticut in the U.S. Senate as Democrats.
McKee focused some of his criticism on Foulkes’ CVS record, alleging that she had failed to respond adequately to the opioid crisis.
Foulkes said CVS reduced its dispensing of opioids by 40% while she led the pharmacy division. In 2022, after she had left the company, CVS agreed to pay $5 billion to resolve opioid-related lawsuits nationwide without admitting wrongdoing.
Providence Mayor Loses to Morales
The gubernatorial contest was not the only Rhode Island primary in which a challenger defeated an incumbent.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley lost the Democratic nomination to David Morales, a 27-year-old democratic socialist. Smiley, 47had held the mayor’s office since 2022.
Morales received endorsements from independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and several prominent labor unions.
The result represented another significant change in the state’s Democratic political leadership.
Republican Primary Remains Close
Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino were separated by only a few hundred votes in the Republican gubernatorial primary with most ballots counted.
Guckian is an executive with a state trade association and was the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022. The Rhode Island Republican Party endorsed his gubernatorial campaign.
Pelino, a former actor, was making her first bid for public office.
The eventual Republican nominee will face Foulkes in the general election. The available results establish the nominees and vote counts but do not determine the outcome of the November contest.
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