Foulkes outraises McKee ahead of Sept. 9 Democratic rematch
Four years after their first contest, Democratic voters this election year have increasingly shown a willingness to oust incumbents, according to the Associated Press. McKee is seeking to avoid becoming the first U.S. governor to lose a primary since 2018. Foulkes, a former CVS Health executive, has outraised the 75-year-old governor and saturated Rhode Island airwaves with advertising, AP reported.
The 2022 primary was a narrow McKee victory. According to AP, on the night of that primary win, a supporter handed McKee a phone as Foulkes was calling to concede. McKee waved the phone away, telling the supporter, “That’s not going to happen. Hang up on them.” Foulkes is now challenging him to a rematch, with McKee also seeking to avoid becoming the first Rhode Island governor to lose a primary in more than 30 years, AP reported.
In an interview with AP, Foulkes framed her campaign as a response to voter frustration with how state government operates. “I think that what I’ve really learned in the last four years, in a deeper way, is how much people feel like state government just works with a powerful few,” Foulkes, 62, said. “They also hear the leader of the state saying ‘everything’s great’ and they’re saying, ‘I really worry about a good paying job.’”
Beyond Foulkes’s fundraising advantage, AP cited simmering anger over a bridge repair project that has dragged on longer than expected.
Rhode Island is Democratic-leaning, and the winner of the Sept. 9 Democratic primary will be the heavy favorite to win the general election in November, AP reported.