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Live Results: Rhode Island Midterm Primaries

From PBS NewsHour · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee faces former CVS executive Helena Buonanno Foulkes in a Democratic primary for the governor’s nomination.
  • The campaign has focused on the delayed replacement of the Washington Bridge, a state contract investigation and Foulkes’ record at CVS.
  • Republican candidates Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino are competing for their party’s nomination.

Dan McKee entered Rhode Island’s Democratic primary facing a threat few elected governors have encountered in recent years: the possibility of losing renomination while seeking a second full term. His challenger, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, has led independent polling for much of the year, although many voters remained undecided in the latest survey.

The contest has centered heavily on the Washington Bridge, which links Providence and East Providence and carries about 100,000 vehicles a day. McKee closed the westbound span in December 2023 after authorities found critical structural flaws. Officials later concluded that the bridge had to be demolished and replaced. A reopening initially expected this year has now been pushed to November 2028.

Campaign advertising has also highlighted a 2024 joint investigation by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and state police. The investigation found that McKee “personally and directly intervened” in awarding a multimillion-dollar state contract, while concluding that he did not violate state bribery or campaign finance laws. Neronha endorsed Foulkes in March.

McKee has responded by focusing on Foulkes’ career at CVS and the company’s alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis. Foulkes, a former longtime CVS executive, finished a close second behind McKee in the five-way 2022 Democratic primary. Her campaign has raised and spent almost twice as much as McKee’s, according to state records. McKee won that primary with 32.8% of the vote, compared with Foulkes’ 29.9%.

McKee first became governor in March 2021 after Gina Raimondo stepped down to become U.S. commerce secretary. He won election by a wide margin in 2022. A defeat would make him the first elected governor since 2014 to lose renomination, and the first in Rhode Island since 1994. In the Republican primary, state trade association executive Aaron Guckian faces former actress Elaine Pelino. The state Republican Party has endorsed Guckian.

personally and directly intervened

· Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and state policeThe phrase appeared in the findings of a 2024 investigation into McKee’s role in awarding a multimillion-dollar state contract.
About this summary

Originally published by PBS NewsHour in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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