With six weeks until the Sept. 13 primary election, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has the most cash on hand among five major Democratic candidates for the state’s top job.
Second-quarter filings show McKee with $1.2 million in his campaign account, compared with $786,000 for Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and $692,000 for former CVS Health executive Helena Buonanno Foulkes.
Foulkes, however, spent more than $1.3 million in Q2, almost three times more than McKee and Gorbea combined. Some of that could be for airing TV commercials in the home stretch of the campaign.
McKee’s campaign manager, Brexton Isaacs, pointed to the governor’s cash balance as an advantage.
“Going into this final stretch before a crucial primary election, we are energized by our strong endorsements from organized labor, the enthusiasm we experience on the ground with Rhode Islanders from across the state, and the governor’s strong record of accomplishment that we are excited to talk with voters about,” Isaacs said in a statement.
On Monday, Gorbea’s campaign released some details from an internal poll that showed her leading the race with 27% of the support, followed by McKee and undecided with 22% each, Foulkes with 14%, community activist Matt Brown with 7%, and community activist Luis Daniel Muñoz with 3%. According to Gorbea’s campaign, her favorability ranks higher than that of McKee and Foulkes.
“Our poll clearly reflects how Rhode Island Democrats feel — they know the work Nellie Gorbea has done for their community and they like the results,” Gorbea’s campaign manager, Dana Walton, said in a statement.
Brown and Muñoz have registered in the single digits in public polls by media outlets, and they lag far behind in fundraising. Brown has a campaign balance of $67,000, while Muñoz has $1,366 on hand.
In the race for mayor of Providence, Brett Smiley has the fattest campaign account, $642,000, followed by Gonzalo Cuervo with $256,000 and Nirva LaFortune with $172,000.
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org
