Context:

Rhode Island’s Democratic Gov. Dan McKee is in a high-stakes primary battle centered on the Washington Bridge reconstruction, which was shut in December 2023 for safety fixes and is now slated to reopen in November 2028. He trails in fundraising to Helena Buonanno Foulkes, a CVS veteran and niece of former Sen. Chris Dodd, and faces anti-incumbent headwinds tied to rising electricity costs and housing shortages. The bridge project dominates the race as both candidates critique bidding and pace, with McKee defending his handling while portraying Foulkes as an out-of-touch corporate challenger. A McKee renomination would keep him favored for the general election, while a loss could signal broader political volatility ahead of key statewide races. The piece also situates Rhode Island’s broader midterm context, including Senate and congressional races on the horizon.

Dive Deeper:

• McKee assumed office in March 2021 after Gina Raimondo left to join the Biden administration and won a full term four years later, now fighting to avoid becoming the first elected Rhode Island governor in a dozen years to lose renomination.

• His main primary challenger is Helena Buonanno Foulkes, a former CVS executive who narrowly edged McKee in a 2022 Democratic primary and is backed by notable fundraising parity, though McKee has been outspent roughly two-to-one this cycle.

• The Washington Bridge reconstruction has become the central issue, with the span connecting Providence to East Providence carrying about 100,000 vehicles per day before closure and now operating with reduced lanes on a reconfigured eastbound structure.

• Officials had expected a 2024 reopening but have pushed the completion date to November 2028, a delay that has intensified scrutiny of the bidding process and overall pace of reconstruction.

• McKee has pushed back on criticism, portraying Foulkes as an out-of-touch corporate executive, and has highlighted continuing affordability challenges like higher electricity rates and housing shortages as headwinds in this anti-incumbent year.

• In the broader Rhode Island political landscape, the contest for governor feeds into a general election dynamic where the winner in the Democratic primary is viewed as the favorite, while the Republican field features candidates such as Aaron Guckian, with the GOP endorsing Guckian as its nominee for the general race.