Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee loses Democratic primary to businesswoman Helena Foulkes

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has lost his Democratic primary to former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, NBC News projects, after facing a significant spending disadvantage and voter discontent with his tenure.

In an election season that has seen a wave of anti-incumbent energy, McKee, 75, becomes the first governor to fall in a primary this year — and the first in eight years.

Public polling had shown McKee, who was running for a full second term, trailing by double digits heading into Tuesday. And Foulkes, 62, outspent him on the airwaves by a 3-to-1 margin, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

The primary was a rematch of 2022, when Foulkes narrowly lost to McKee, who had replaced then-Gov. Gina Raimaondo after she was selected for President Joe Biden’s Cabinet in 2021.

McKee’s 2023 decision to close the Washington Bridge, a commuter thoroughfare in Providence, hung over his campaign. The bridge closure came after state engineers discovered major structural problems that could have caused it to eventually collapse. Three years later, the bridge remains under construction.

An Emerson College poll from August found that 63% of likely Rhode Island voters disapproved of McKee’s handling of the Washington Bridge, with just 18% saying they approved.

In her campaign ads, Foulkes said the state had “the worst roads and bridges.” She also touted her plans to boost the state’s economy and housing market.

McKee has defended his decision to close the bridge saying he prioritized safety over politics, and has said construction will be completed by 2028.

The last time a sitting governor lost a primary was in 2018, when Kansas Republican Jeff Colyer was defeated by then-Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump. Hawaii’s Neil Abercrombie was the last Democratic governor to fall in a primary in 2014, losing by 35 points to David Ige, who was a state senator at the time.

A total of 11 House members and two senators have lost primaries in 2026.

Given the heavy focus on local issues, the Rhode Island primary did not attract the level of national attention other Democratic contests — which centered on fierce ideological and generational battles — around the country have attracted this year.

Still, Foulkes does have connections to powerful Democrats. Her uncle and grandfather, Thomas Dodd and Chris Dodd, were both U.S. senators from Connecticut. And former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was a college roommate of Foulkes’ mother, campaigned for her.

Foulkes will now be the heavy favorite in the general election in the blue state. Kamala Harris carried it by nearly 14 points in the 2024 presidential election, and Rhode Island hasn’t elected a Republican governor since 2010.