Helena Foulkes defeated incumbent Daniel McKee in the Democratic primary for governor of Rhode Island on Sept. 9. The last incumbent Rhode Island governor to lose in a primary was Bruce Sundlun (D) in 1994.
The Democratic primary was a rematch between McKee and Foulkes. McKee became governor on March 2, 2021, after then-Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) was confirmed to serve as the U.S. secretary of commerce in President Joe Biden's (D) administration. Foulkes unsuccessfully challenged McKee in the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary, with McKee receiving 32.8% of the vote to Foulkes' 29.9%.
Heading into the 2026 primary, 12 News' Ted Nesi wrote in June 2026 that McKee was "facing a formidable challenge from Foulkes ... Foulkes led McKee by 20 points in last month’s 12 News/Emerson College survey and had over $2 million more in her campaign account as of March." On June 20, the Rhode Island Democratic Party voted not to endorse either candidate after neither received a majority of votes at the party's endorsement convention. According to Nesi, "Local historian Steven Frias said he believes McKee is the first governor not to be endorsed by his own party since Rhode Island adopted its modern primary system in 1948."
