Dem incumbent becomes first sitting governor to lose primary since 2018

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee lost his Democratic primary Wednesday to businesswoman Helena Foulkes, becoming the first sitting governor in the country since 2018 to be denied his party’s nomination.

Foulkes, a former CVS executive and current Costco board member, defeated McKee in a rematch of their closely fought 2022 Democratic primary, when McKee edged her by just a few percentage points. 

McKee’s defeat Wednesday adds another incumbent to a growing list of officeholders ousted during the 2026 primary season.

McKee first became governor in 2021 after Gov. Gina Raimondo left office to serve as Commerce Secretary in the Biden administration. The former Cumberland mayor and two-term lieutenant governor went on to win his first full term in 2022 after narrowly emerging from a crowded Democratic primary that included Foulkes.

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The last sitting governor to lose his party’s nomination was Kansas Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer. Colyer lost the 2018 GOP primary to then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, backed by Donald Trump at the time, by fewer than 400 votes.

Foulkes has spent decades in the private sector, including as a senior executive at Rhode Island-based CVS Health, and later served as CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company. She sits on Costco’s board of directors.

Her 2026 campaign marked Foulkes’ second bid for elected office after finishing second to McKee in the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary.

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The rematch centered in part on the candidates’ competing arguments over their records and leadership.

Foulkes criticized McKee’s management of state government, including his administration’s handling of the Washington Bridge, which was abruptly closed over structural concerns in December 2023 and remains under reconstruction.

McKee defended his administration’s record and repeatedly targeted Foulkes’ tenure at CVS, suggesting she is an out-of-touch corporate executive and going after her leadership role at the company amid its controversial handling of prescription opioids.

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Foulkes will advance to the November general election as a favorite against the winner of the Republican primary between Aaron Guckian, the GOP’s 2022 nominee for Rhode Island lieutenant governor, and retired business executive Elaine Pelino.