Foulkes defeats Rhode Island's Gov. McKee. He's the first governor in 8
years to lose a primary
[September 10, 2026]
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Helena Foulkes defeated Rhode Island Gov. Dan
McKee in the state’s Democratic primary Wednesday, making him the first
governor in any U.S. state to lose a party primary since 2018.
McKee’s defeat ends his bid for a second full term and marks the first
time in more than 30 years that a sitting Rhode Island governor has been
beaten in a primary.
Foulkes, a former senior executive at CVS and the retailer Hudson’s Bay,
wasn’t the only challenger to oust an incumbent Wednesday. The mayor of
Providence lost to David Morales, a young democratic socialist endorsed
by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
For Foulkes, the win was a redemptive rebound from 2022, when she
narrowly lost to McKee in a more crowded primary field — on a night when
the governor notably refused to take her concession call.
In their rematch, McKee was dogged by questions about his
administration’s work to replace a critical bridge in the state capital
that was abruptly closed due to safety problems in 2023.
Foulkes leveraged public exasperation over the cost and pace of the
bridge project for her argument that McKee's administration isn’t
working for most Rhode Islanders.
“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 told a large crowd in Providence during her victory
speech Wednesday. “Because there is so much work that needs to be done,
and we need to do this together.”
McKee attempted to characterize Foulkes as an out-of-touch elite who
turned a blind eye to the opioid crisis during her tenure at CVS,
arguing that he had a stronger record.
However, in his concession speech in Providence, McKee promised to work
with Foulkes 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 that he has his head
“very high because I know the work we've done together is really
special.”
Incumbent governors rarely lose party primaries. The last time it
happened in Rhode Island was in 1994, when Democrat Bruce Sundlun lost
to state Sen. Myrth York, ending his bid for a third term. In that race,
Sundlun was facing multiple controversies and voter fatigue while York
ran on reform.
In a separate election shakeup, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley lost his
reelection bid to Morales, 27, in the Democratic primary. Smiley, 47,
has held the seat since 2022. Aside from Sanders, Morales also had the
backing of U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna and several high-profile labor unions.
McKee has been governor since 2021.
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Candidate for Rhode Island governor Helena Buonanno Foulkes speaks
during a Get Out the Vote event, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in
Providence. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
In 2023, McKee closed the Washington Bridge, a vital link that
carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River and connects
Providence to its eastern suburbs and the south coast of
Massachusetts. During the summer, it also carries traffic bound for
Cape Cod.
State transportation officials had flagged a “critical failure” in
an older part of the bridge, but demolishing and replacing it has
taken longer than the governor initially estimated. Traffic
continues to flow but has been squeezed into fewer lanes on a newer
part of the span, leading to lengthy commute times.
McKee maintains that his decisions kept people safe and that the
bridge construction will be finished by 2028. He often points to
Maryland, saying the Washington Bridge will be complete ahead of the
replacement of Baltimore's much larger Francis Scott Key Bridge,
which collapsed and killed six construction workers in 2024 after a
container ship crashed into it.
Foulkes' grandfather and uncle, Thomas and Chris Dodd, were both
Democratic U.S. senators in Connecticut. She worked at CVS for 25
years, eventually becoming president of the company’s pharmacy
division between 2014 and 2018. She then became chief executive
officer of the Canadian retail giant Hudson’s Bay before leaving in
2020.
When pressed on her time at CVS, Foulkes argued that CVS reduced its
opioid dispensing by 40% when she was president of CVS’ pharmacy
division. In 2022, after Foulkes had left CVS, the company agreed to
pay $5 billion to settle lawsuits nationwide over the toll of
opioids without admitting wrongdoing.
The last governor to lose in a primary was former Kansas Gov. Jeff
Colyer, who narrowly lost the Republican nomination to Kris Kobach
in 2018.
In the Republican gubernatorial primary, Aaron Guckian and Elaine
Pelino were in a close contest for the nomination, separated only a
few hundred votes with most of the vote counted. Guckian is a state
trade association executive and was the nominee for lieutenant
governor in 2022. Pelino is a former actor and first-time candidate.
The state party has endorsed Guckian.
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