Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee lost his Democratic primary to businesswoman Helena Foulkes, becoming the first sitting governor since 2018 to be denied his party’s nomination. Foulkes, a former CVS executive and current Costco board member, defeated McKee in this rematch of their 2022 Democratic primary, which McKee had won by only a few percentage points.
This defeat adds McKee to a list of incumbents ousted during the 2026 primary season. McKee initially became governor in 2021 after Gov. Gina Raimondo left to serve in the Biden administration. Elected first as the Cumberland mayor and then as a two-term lieutenant governor, he secured his full term in 2022 after narrowly winning the Democratic primary.
INCUMBENT GOP GOVERNOR ROLLS TO PRIMARY VICTORY AFTER KEEPING TRUMP AT A DISTANCE
The last sitting governor to lose the nomination was Kansas Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer in 2018, who lost the GOP primary by fewer than 400 votes to Kris Kobach, who had Trump’s backing.
Helena Foulkes speaks during a Get Out the Vote event on Aug. 30, 2026, in Providence, Rhode Island (Mark Stockwell/AP Photo).
Foulkes, who spent decades in the private sector with CVS Health and Hudson’s Bay Company, launched her second campaign for office after finishing second to McKee in 2022. Her campaign focused on contrasting leadership and management records with McKee.
Foulkes challenged McKee’s state government management, highlighting issues like the Washington Bridge closure in December 2023, while McKee criticized Foulkes’ tenure at CVS, questioning her leadership amid the opioid controversy.
The Rhode Island State Capitol in Providence R.I. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images).
Foulkes advances to the November general election as a favorite against the GOP primary winner between Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino.
Alec Schemmel is a Politics Reporter for Fox News Digital, based in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore Metro Area.
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