Unofficial results show McKee won with 32.8% of the vote, followed by Foulkes with 30.1%, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea with 26.1%, former Secretary of State Matt Brown with 7.9%, and community activist Luis Daniel Muñoz with 3.1%.
McKee, 71, was excited as he addressed supporters at the Providence Renaissance Hotel, not far from the Statehouse. He cited his victory as a sign of support for his approach, while also noting that every vote counted.
“Thirty-nine cities and towns, every one’s important and every community that makes up those communities is important,” McKee said. “So I am so honored to stand before you tonight, not just as your governor, but as the Democratic nominee for governor of Rhode Island.”
In the race for representative of the state’s Second Congressional District, General Treasurer Seth Magaziner cruised to victory with 54% of the vote, followed by David Segal with 16%, Sarah Morgenthau with 12%, Joy Fox with 11%, and two other candidates in the single digits.
In his victory speech, Magaziner told supporters his general election bout with Republican Allan Fung – who ran unopposed in the primary – comes down to values.
“Values of privacy and making sure that women make up their healthcare decisions, not politicians in Washington,” Magaziner said. “The value of making sure that our children and our children’s children will be able to vote in free and fair elections, and that those elections will be honored, even by the side that doesn’t win.”
In a statement, the National Republican Congressional Committee said one-party rule by Democrats has hurt Rhode Island, and that Fung can build on his record as a former mayor of Cranston to help move the country forward.
In the General Assembly, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio repelled challenges by progressive rivals. Though progressives won a handful of legislative primary races in an effort to move the General Assembly to the left, they fell short of broad gains.
McKee’s victory margin was similar when he won a second term as lieutenant governor over fellow Democrat Aaron Regunberg in 2018. That set the stage for McKee to take over the state’s top job when his predecessor, Gina Raimondo, became U.S. commerce secretary in March 2021.
Foulkes outpaced Gorbea, who has won two statewide elections, had traded polling leads with McKee over the summer, and would have been the first Latina governor in New England. But the thin margin of her defeat may leave supporters wondering how things might have turned out with different campaign tactics.
Foulkes urged her supporters to not lose hope.
“I think we gave Rhode Island a message,” Foulkes said. “We showed Rhode Island what we can be. It’s all about a sense of hope and optimism, and that’s what the people of Rhode Island really want, and I want for them, I know all of you want for them – and we are going to make that happen.”
Organized labor rallied around McKee’s campaign, possibly making the difference in his win. He thanked unions, his family, supporters, and the mayors of communities around his base in the Blackstone Valley who helped to run up his margins against Foulkes.
McKee outpaced Foulkes in East Providence, 2,282 to 1,782, in North Providence, 2,075 to 1,454, in Johnston, 1,634 to 1,040, in Pawtucket, 2,027 to 1,289, and Gorbea’s strong performance in Providence frustrated Foulkes’ efforts to make up the distance elsewhere.
McKee was also helped by his advertising. A spot featuring his 94-year-old mother, Willa, was praised for being charming and making the governor seem relatable.
If he wins in November, McKee vowed to double down on efforts to improve Rhode Island’s economy, pointing to the state’s record low unemployment on his watch.
He also said he plans to put on the boxing gloves against Republican Ashley Kalus, his November general election opponent – a reference to one of her ads highlighting Kalus’ background as a prize-winning boxer.
In a statement, Kalus indicated she’s ready to square off. She criticized McKee’s support for millions in public money to revive the Superman Building in downtown Providence and to build a soccer stadium in Pawtucket, indicating that those will become issues in the fall campaign.
Ben Berke contributed to this report.
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org. Follow him on Twitter @IanDon and sign up for email delivery of his weekly RI politics newsletter.
