Democrat Governor Becomes First In Nearly A Decade To Lose Primary

BREAKING: Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has lost his Democratic primary to former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, NBC News projects, becoming the first governor to fall in a primary this year and the first in eight years. https://t.co/1oBQEP8Myu

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 10, 2026

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McKee first became governor in 2021 after Gov. Gina Raimondo left office to serve as Commerce Secretary in the Biden administration. The former Cumberland mayor and two-term lieutenant governor went on to win his first full term in 2022 after narrowly emerging from a crowded Democratic primary that included Foulkes.

The last sitting governor to lose his party’s nomination was Kansas Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer. Colyer lost the 2018 GOP primary to then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, backed by Donald Trump at the time, by fewer than 400 votes.

Foulkes has spent decades in the private sector, including as a senior executive at Rhode Island-based CVS Health, and later served as CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company. She sits on Costco’s board of directors.

Her 2026 campaign marked Foulkes’ second bid for elected office after finishing second to McKee in the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary.

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12 News projects Aaron Guckian as the winner of the Republican primary for Rhode Island governor. See more results: https://t.co/QcsKrmmE7b pic.twitter.com/zINVDvKkUZ

— WPRI 12 (@wpri12) September 10, 2026

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McKee’s campaign was bogged down by the botched handling of a years-long project to rebuild the Washington Bridge, which transports more than 70,000 drivers through Providence each day. The project has suffered from delays, cost overruns and disputes between state officials and former contractors that have raised questions about transparency and accountability for the project.

Foulkes spent much of the primary hammering McKee over his handling of the bridge project — a strategy that ultimately proved successful.

McKee had partially closed the bridge in 2023, and estimated at the time that it would fully reopen this summer. But last year, he said the bridge likely won’t be completed until 2028. Construction began in June.

Throughout his campaign, McKee continued to insist that the bridge project was handled well. He told The New York Times in August that “people are going to realize we did the right thing.”

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