Gov. Dan McKee is shown in his new reelection campaign sizzle reel unveiled Monday, March 3, 2025. (Courtesy of McKee campaign)
“Gov. Dan McKee knew it wouldn’t be easy, but what’s worth fighting for never is.”
So begins the video advertisement from McKee’s campaign, announcing the governor’s intention to seek reelection in the 2026 gubernatorial race. The nearly two-minute spot was shared with Rhode Island Current Sunday, ahead of a Monday morning release on major print and broadcast platforms.
It’s not actually McKee’s official campaign kickoff, which will happen early in 2026, said Mike Trainor, McKee’s campaign manager. Instead, Trainor said the video produced by Chicago-based AL Media Strategy aims to quiet any rumors that McKee might not enter the race.
“The campaign wanted to dispel any doubts that the governor will not run for reelection, as has been speculated by some in the news media and political circles,” Trainor said.
The sitting governor is the first to officially throw his hat in the ring, though one of his former rivals, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, has also been ramping up campaign fundraising and rallying supporters ahead of a potential rematch with McKee in 2026.
Foulkes lost to McKee by 3 percentage points in a five-way Democratic gubernatorial primary in September 2022. Her campaign manager, Jon Romano, declined to comment when reached by email Sunday night, opting to wait until the video was publicly released.
McKee’s campaign video draws upon some of the first decisions he made upon ascending to governor in 2021, after then-Gov. Gina Raimondo was named U.S. Secretary of Commerce. The video cycles through still photos and press conference clips from the state’s early pandemic recovery, with a woman-narrated voiceover crediting McKee for reopening the state economy.
Other accomplishments of his four years in office cited in the video include his efforts to reduce absenteeism among public school students, a record $120 million affordable housing fund approved by voters in November and a trio of state gun safety laws. The video also touts the $250 million in federal grants secured to help rebuild the westbound Washington Bridge, but makes no mention of the uncertainty surrounding that funding under the new presidential administration.
However, the video notes McKee’s record in “fighting Trump’s radical agenda and chaotic leadership,” such as protecting Rhode Island immigrants from deportation.
Trainor declined to say how much the campaign spent on video production and promotion. Payments to AL Media Strategy were not reflected in McKee’s campaign finance reports as of Dec. 31, the most recent information available.
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