RI Governor Candidates: Primaries, Independent Bid, and Key Issues

The 2026 Rhode Island governor candidates are incumbent Democrat Dan McKee and challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes in the Democratic primary; Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino in the Republican primary; and data entrepreneur Ken Block running as an independent. Primary day is September 9, 2026, and the general election is November 3.¹

The Democratic Primary: McKee vs. Foulkes

Dan McKee is seeking his second full term. He first became governor in 2021 after Gina Raimondo left to join the Biden administration, and he filed his reelection paperwork on June 23, 2026.² He had signaled his plans in a March 2025 video ad meant to end speculation about whether he would run again.³

Helena Foulkes is a former CVS executive who ran the company’s retail pharmacy division from 2014 to 2018 and oversaw its decision to pull tobacco products from shelves, a move her campaign says cost $2 billion in revenue.⁴ She has never held elected office and ran for governor once before, in 2022. Her 2026 platform centers on government efficiency, infrastructure reform, affordability, and opposition to Trump administration policies.⁵

The Washington Bridge is the central fight between them. After the bridge’s emergency closure in December 2023, Foulkes has called for overhauling the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, creating an in-house safety and accountability office, and firing the current transportation director.⁴ McKee’s campaign has attacked Foulkes over the 2018 CVS-Aetna merger. Her campaign calls those ads misleading, saying she left CVS before the merger closed and that the deal was outside her role running retail pharmacy.⁶

Where the Democratic Race Stands

Foulkes leads in every public poll released so far. An Emerson College/WPRI survey conducted May 14–16, 2026, put her at 40% among likely Democratic primary voters, McKee at 20%, and 37% undecided.⁷ A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll in April showed her up by 34 points.⁸ Sixty percent of likely voters in the Emerson poll view McKee unfavorably, and 59% say the state is on the wrong track.

The money runs the same direction. In the first quarter of 2026, Foulkes raised $1.1 million and had $3.65 million on hand; McKee raised $490,000 and had $1.3 million available.⁹ Foulkes was already on television by late spring, spending $100,000 on a first ad buy.⁴

Neither candidate secured the state Democratic Party endorsement at the June 20, 2026 convention. McKee got 81 votes to Foulkes’s 75, with 11 members voting for no endorsement; 84 were needed to win.¹⁰ Foulkes has done better with local Democratic committees, picking up an endorsement from the Rhode Island Association of Democratic City and Town Chairs on June 8 and at least 12 local endorsements by late June.⁶ The 80,000-member Rhode Island AFL-CIO had not endorsed and was expected to poll its member unions in mid-July.

The Republican Primary: Guckian vs. Pelino

The Rhode Island Republican Party endorsed Aaron Guckian, 49, of East Greenwich, at its June 25, 2026 convention. He beat Elaine Pelino 72–44, which gives him top ballot placement on September 9.¹¹¹² His fundraising is modest: $34,000 raised in Q1 2026 plus a $10,000 personal loan, and $76,000 cash on hand.⁹

Elaine Pelino, 72, of Smithfield, is a former actress and model who previously ran a free Rhode Island magazine called “Tigress.” She has called for merit-based hiring, a “DOGE-type” department to audit state spending, ending the state tax on Social Security, and closer cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.¹³ Name recognition is a hurdle for both Republicans: 75% of Emerson respondents had no opinion of Guckian or hadn’t heard of him.⁸

Ken Block’s Independent Bid

Ken Block, 60, of Barrington, announced an independent run on April 2, 2026. He runs the data-mining firm Simpatico Software Systems and has run for governor twice before, finishing fourth in 2010 as the Moderate Party candidate with 6.5% of the vote and losing the 2014 Republican primary to Allan Fung by ten points. The Trump campaign hired him in 2020 to investigate claims of voter fraud in that year’s presidential election, and he found no substantial evidence.¹⁴

Block frames his campaign around what he calls a “crisis of competence” in state government, pointing to the Washington Bridge and state payroll problems. He wants line-item veto power for the governor, a state inspector general’s office, and the elimination of the master lever for straight-party voting on general election ballots.¹⁵ His own polling claims a lead in a three-way general, but the Emerson poll put him at 22% behind McKee (33%) and at 19% behind Foulkes (39%) in hypothetical matchups.⁷

The Issues Driving the Race

A few themes cut across the field.

Washington Bridge. The bridge’s replacement is projected to finish in November 2028, and 77% of Emerson respondents said they lack confidence in RIDOT’s management of roads and bridges.⁷
Affordability and the economy. Voters ranked the economy (31%) and housing affordability (21%) as their top concerns. McKee has proposed eliminating the state income tax on Social Security, a $325 per-child state tax credit, and rolling back a gas tax increase. Foulkes has emphasized affordability and good-paying jobs.¹⁶⁵
Housing. McKee has proposed a $120 million housing bond, $25 million of it earmarked for homeownership. Foulkes lists homes people can afford as a core priority.¹⁶⁶
Federal policy. Both Democrats have pledged to push back on Trump administration budget cuts and policies. McKee has proposed tens of millions in state spending to offset expected Medicaid and healthcare losses.¹⁶

Key Dates for Voters

August 20, 2026: Early voting begins.⁸
September 9, 2026: Democratic and Republican primary elections.¹
November 3, 2026: General election.¹

Under the Rhode Island Constitution, the governor serves a four-year term and cannot serve more than two consecutive full terms; partial terms of less than two years don’t count toward the limit.¹⁷

1
Rhode Island Secretary of State. 2026 Election Calendar
2
News From the States. Gov. McKee and His Main Rival Foulkes Officially Declare Their Candidacy for September Primary
3
Rhode Island Current. No Doubt About It: Gov. McKee Is Running for Reelection
4
Providence Journal. Fact-Checking Helena Foulkes’ First Ad in the 2026 RI Governor Race
5
Helena Foulkes for Governor. Helena Foulkes for Governor
6
Rhode Island Current. Local Democratic Party Leaders Endorse Foulkes and Khamsyvoravong Over Incumbents
7
Emerson College Polling. Rhode Island 2026: Helena Foulkes Leads Incumbent Governor McKee in Democratic Primary
8
Rhode Island Current. McKee Facing Uphill Battle in WPRI Poll
9
Providence Journal. Democratic Challenger Dramatically Outraises McKee in First Quarter of 2026
10
Rhode Island Current. A Party Divided: RI Dems Convention Split Leaves No Endorsements for Governor, LG and AG
11
Rhode Island Current. RI GOP Endorses Aaron Guckian for Governor
12
Aaron for RI. Aaron Guckian for Governor
13
WPRI. Republican Elaine Pelino Is Running for RI Governor Next Year
14
Rhode Island Current. Ken Block Is Running for Governor Again, This Time as an Independent
15
WPRI. Ken Block Announces 2026 Run for Governor
16
Rhode Island Current. Embattled McKee Highlights Affordability, Takes on Trump in 2026 State of the State
17
Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Constitution, Article IV