Gov. Dan McKee enters the Rhode Island House chamber on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, to deliver his annual State of the State address. Behind him is Maj. Gen. Christopher P. Callahan, who retired as
adjutant general of the Rhode Island National Guard in January. (Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
Mark your calendars: Gov. Dan McKee’s widely expected reelection announcement is coming on March 3, Mike Trainor, McKee’s campaign manager, confirmed in an email Friday.
“Details to come next week,” Trainor said.
The news, first reported by the Providence Journal, makes the sitting governor the first to officially confirm his candidacy for the 2026 gubernatorial race. Helena Buonanno Foulkes, one of McKee’s 2022 Democratic rivals, is also expected to challenge the incumbent again, but has not officially announced.
Jon Romano, Foulkes’ campaign manager, declined to comment Friday.
Foulkes lost to McKee by 3 percentage points in a five-way Democratic gubernatorial primary in September 2022. Both McKee and Foulkes have ramped up their fundraising efforts, with Foulkes taking the lead in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Rhode Island Board of Elections.
The pair have squared off on policy, too, with Foulkes criticizing McKee for his handling of the lack of emergency shelters during freezing temperatures, and the cyberattack on the RIBridges system, among other issues. Meanwhile, McKee’s campaign has linked Foulkes to a recent federal investigation accusing CVS Health of perpetuating the opioid epidemic; Foulkes formerly served as CVS Pharmacy president for part of the decade included in the U.S. Department of Justice complaint.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi beats both McKee and Foulkes in fundraising and cash on-hand, though he remains adamant he is not interested in seeking the governor’s seat in the 2026 race. Another 2022 candidate, Republican Ashley Kalus, told the Providence Journal in January that she’s considering another run. Kalus lost to McKee in the 2022 general election by 19 percentage points, and closed her campaign finance account in August 2023.
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