Rhode Island Governor Faces Rematch Amid Bridge Turmoil
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee faces Helena Foulkes in a primary rematch, with anger over the Washington Bridge closure shaping the race.
Four years after narrowly winning Rhode Island's Democratic gubernatorial primary, Dan McKee is in a rematch against Helena Foulkes, the woman he famously refused to take a concession call from. The Sept. 9 primary is unfolding against a backdrop of voter frustration over a prolonged bridge repair and a national trend of primary challenges to incumbents.
Foulkes, a former CVS Health executive, has outraised McKee and saturated the airwaves with ads. She argues that state government under McKee serves a powerful few, and that the governor's optimistic messaging does not match residents' worries about jobs and daily costs.
A central issue is the Washington Bridge in Providence, which carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River. McKee closed its westbound side in 2023 after officials cited a critical failure, promising repairs that would take months. Instead, the project has dragged on, with costs rising, and nearly 100,000 daily vehicles now squeeze through the remaining lanes. McKee defends his actions, saying he prioritized safety and that the bridge will be finished by 2028, even pointing to Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement as a slower comparison.
Political scientist Adam Myers of Providence College notes that bridges are a clear liability for governors because responsibility is unambiguous, unlike complex issues such as crime or inflation.
McKee has attacked Foulkes as an out-of-touch corporate executive, accusing her of contributing to the opioid crisis during her CVS tenure. Foulkes denies this, noting that CVS reduced opioid distribution by 40% while she led its pharmacy division, and she warns that McKee's criticism of her could alienate CVS's thousands of Rhode Island employees.
Foulkes, whose grandfather and uncle were Connecticut senators, positions herself as an outsider. She has even won support from Democrats in McKee's hometown of Cumberland. McKee, meanwhile, highlights labor endorsements, though the state party and AFL-CIO have stayed neutral.
The winner of the primary is expected to easily win the general election in this Democratic-leaning state.