HOME / POLITICS / PROVIDENCE, R.I.
Political Earthquake in Rhode Island: Ex-CVS Boss Ousts Sitting Governor in Historic Primary Blowout
Democrat Helena Foulkes trounced Gov. Dan McKee by 24 points Wednesday, making him the first sitting Rhode Island governor in three decades to lose his own primary.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island's political establishment was upended Wednesday night when Helena Foulkes, a former CVS Health executive making her first run for office, routed incumbent Democratic Gov. Dan McKee in the state's gubernatorial primary — a landslide defeat that makes McKee the first sitting Rhode Island governor to lose renomination in more than 30 years.
With 71% of the vote counted, the race was called shortly after 8:23 p.m. ET, with Foulkes leading 62.6% to McKee's 37.4%. The final margin held at roughly 62% to 38%, according to NBC News — a blowout by any standard for an incumbent governor.
A Historic Ouster
McKee, who ascended to the governorship in 2021 when Gina Raimondo joined the Biden administration and later won a full term in 2022, becomes just the latest cautionary tale for sitting officials facing voter discontent over the economy and cost of living. According to WBUR/NPR, he is the first governor nationally to lose a renomination bid in eight years, and the first Rhode Island governor to lose a primary in over three decades.
Foulkes, who spent years as an executive at CVS Health before running, significantly out-spent McKee in the closing weeks of the race and leaned heavily on her outsider credentials, casting the incumbent as out of touch with Rhode Islanders' everyday struggles.
"WE JUST GOT TO HOLD OUR HEADS HIGH."
Foulkes delivered her victory speech to a packed crowd at Track 15, a food hall in downtown Providence, extending what she called an "olive branch" to McKee's supporters and vowing to govern "for all Rhode Islanders," per WBUR. McKee, conceding from Providence, told supporters: "This is something that I think is difficult to deal with, but we just got to hold our heads high," and pledged a smooth transition, according to CBS News.
Foulkes now advances to face the Republican nominee in November in a state that hasn't elected a GOP governor since 2011, making her the heavy favorite heading into the general election.
The result adds Rhode Island to a growing list of 2026 primary contests where anti-incumbent energy has scrambled expectations, and will be closely watched by strategists in both parties as a bellwether for how voters are processing economic anxiety heading into next year's midterms.