With the passing of Gloria Steinem at age 92, it’s worth remembering that women lawmakers in the Rhode Island House of Representatives didn’t get their own bathroom until… 2007. Thanks for stopping by. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, Threads and X.
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1. STORY OF THE WEEK
When the 2026 race for governor of Rhode Island is consigned to the record books, one date will still loom large: Dec. 11, 2023. The emergency closing that day of the westbound Washington Bridge – and Gov. Dan McKee’s response to the crisis – played an outsized role in shaping the electoral battlefield, and it marked another blow to Rhode Islanders’ wobbly sense of confidence in their own government. We can only wonder how the Democratic primary between McKee and Helena Foulkes, a former CVS executive, might have played out if this wasn’t an issue. Instead, the Washington Bridge saga became national shorthand for why many voters soured on their incumbent governor, 75, as he strives to hold office through January 2031.
On the day after the emergency closing, McKee and other state officials held a news conference at Rhode Island Department of Transportation HQ on Smith Street to address the situation. When I asked if the bridge shutdown marked a failure of state government, McKee said, in part: “The people of the state of Rhode Island should feel very comfortable they’ve got professionals working the job.” Within days, the governor snapped at a reporter who asked if RIDOT Director Peter Alviti should resign. (Alviti ultimately left more than two years later, in February 2026, not long after he was unable during a legislative hearing to name RIDOT’s program manager for bridge inspections.) In the early months of the bridge saga, McKee downplayed how bridge-related congestion was delaying motorists, and the state’s initial timeline was less costly and overly rosy, calling for completing a replacement project this year – instead of two years down the road. As this campaign season heated up, McKee underscored how no lives were lost due to the bridge closing, although he generally wanted to change the subject.
Given this frame for the election, Foulkes ran as a frontrunner, with a streamlined message emphasizing change and doing more about the housing crisis. Acting more like a challenger (albeit one with the advantages of incumbency), McKee attacked Foulkes at every opportunity, criticizing her oversight of opioids at CVS – although polling showed the bridge remained a bigger concern for voters.
So here we are, with voters poised to pick their Democratic nominee in voting ending on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
2. CLOSING ARGUMENTS
Gov. McKee and Helena Foulkes joined me last week on “One on One.” A few highlights:
Foulkes was unequivocal in supporting a statewide ban on data centers and the kind of modernization of the Access to Public Records Act opposed by McKee and his administration in recent years. But Foulkes played it safe – leaning on housing – when asked if she would name a dramatic new initiative to show her commitment to governing boldly rather than just coasting on the way to primary day.
McKee hedged a bit on a data center ban. He touted his record and blasted away at Foulkes. Even though Rhode Island’s labor force participation rate has lost two points since the recent high of 64.7% in April 2024, per the St. Louis Federal Reserve, McKee insisted the state has gained jobs on his watch, pointing to a persistently low unemployment rate to support his argument.
3. MAPPING THE VOTE
It hardly seemed coincidental that Foulkes and McKee each cited Secretary of State Gregg Amore in our interviews as the current Rhode Island elected official they most admire. East Providence has long been perceived as something akin to the Ohio of Rhode Island politics. In the 2022 primary, McKee outpaced Foulkes there by just under 500 votes, although Nellie Gorbea and Matt Brown combined to get almost as many votes as McKee. EP Mayor Roberto DaSilva remains firmly in McKee’s camp, but another town – Johnston – may be a bigger concern for the incumbent. Also in 2022, McKee got 45% of the vote there and Foulkes just under 29%. The challenger has worked to make inroads in the socially conservative town west of Providence, so Johnston bears watching. For reference, 113,598 votes were cast in the Democratic primary for governor four years ago.
4. PROVIDENCE SHOWDOWN
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley came into his re-election race with a number of advantages: incumbency, a big campaign account, years of experience in city and state government and the absence of a glaring failure. But timing is ultra-important in politics. And the broader mid-term atmosphere is marked by dissatisfaction with incumbents, growing support for Democratic socialism and intense concern about housing costs and pessimism about affordability. With the matchup against 27-year-old David Morales, Smiley has had a real fight on his hands. Smiley has battled back with a series of TV ads emphasizing crime and public safety, while Morales has eschewed TV. If the challenger wins, the story will blow up nationally.
When recently asked why this became a close contest if he’s doing as good a job as he contends, Smiley was philosophical: “The voters in Providence always have a choice to decide what’s best and next for them. And I’ve been excited to be on the campaign trail for months and making my case to our residents, constituents to both talk about the progress we’ve made, but also our plans for the future.” Morales insisted he’s more in tune with the needs of Providence and adequately qualified to run the city, despite a resume short on private sector time: “I’m proud of my experience. I’m the child of a single immigrant mom and a lifelong renter. And I understand a lot of the struggles and hardships that working families in Providence today are facing. And those are the issues that I’m often advocating for.”
5. WHERE THE CAMPAIGNS ARE
Here are venues for primary night watch parties on Wednesday night. Polls close at 8 p.m.
Gov. Dan McKee: Maria’s Cucina, Broadway, Providence
Helena Foukes: Track 15, Providence
RI Democrats: Likely to be at their usual location at The Graduate (fka The Biltmore), Providence
Mayor Brett Smiley: Narragansett Brewery, Fox Point
State Rep. David Morales: Troop/Riffraff, Olneyville
Aaron Guckian: Richard’s Pub, East Greenwich
Elaine Pelino: Marasco’s Bar & Grill, Cranston
6. G FORCE
When former Gov. Gina Raimondo floated a trial balloon in 2024 about taking another shot at trying to run the Biggest Little, the University of New Hampshire Survey Center was credulous enough that it included her in a survey of gubernatorial candidates. The results weren’t flattering. In a poll released by UNH this February, 46% of likely Democratic primary voters had an unfavorable view of Raimondo. But Rhode Island’s first woman governor, who is leading an effort on the artificial intelligence transition and serving as a fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, remains a powerful political brand. She campaigned for Mayor Smiley and attorney general candidate Kim Ahern, so the performance of those candidates will be a bit of a test of Raimondo’s influence. On a related note, term-limited AG Peter Neronha is stepping up his support for his endorsed candidate, Keith Hoffmann, through a TV ad and other forms of advocacy.
7. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
With more than 60% of legislative seats uncontested this year, the push by the League of Rhode Island Businesses to move Smith Hill to the right is one of the key themes in primary elections.
Here are some of the General Assembly primary races worth watching:
RI House of Representatives
District 1: Rep. Edith Ajello (D-Providence), one of two reps left from the big incoming class of 1992, faces a challenge from a younger fellow progressive, Michael Garman.
District 7: Democrats Jo-Ann Ryan (she got some support this week from former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, who formerly held the seat and was first elected with backing from Ryan) squares off with Amy Santiago for the Providence seat vacated by David Morales.
District 22: Zakary Pereira could be a pickup for the progressive caucus as he tries to surpass Janie Lee Segui for the Warwick seat vacated by Joseph Solomon Jr.
District 36: LORIB-backed Leah Boisclair takes on Rep. Tina Spears (D-Charlestown).
RI Senate
District 13: With a split in organized labor (see item 4), Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Newport) faces a challenge from former Newport Councilor Angela Lima.
District 15: LORIB-backed Vanessa Rosa Lopez takes on Sen. Meghan Kallman (D-Pawtucket).
District 36: LORIB-backed Mark Mesrobian, the cousin of Senate Whip David Tikoian, challenges Sen. Alana DiMario (D-Narragansett).
8. LABOR DAY:
According to Gallup, a record-high 47% of Americans want labor unions to have more influence. We’ve seen a heightened level of union-organizing locally in recent years. On Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and the Rhode Island Labor History Society will mark the annual commemoration of the “Battle of the Gravestones and the Sayleville Massacre.” Bullet holes in tombstones at Moshassuck Cemetery in Central Falls bear witness to how workers were killed by state militia during a 1934 gun battle. That reflects the sacrifices made to improve working conditions.
On a related note, the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council issued a report this week about the cost of police and fire service in Rhode Island. While some might argue you get what you pay for, with a relatively low rate of crime and fires in the state, the ongoing challenge of making public safety services more efficient also speaks to the influence of organized labor.
9. GLOVES OFF
With the primary election racing to a conclusion, it’s getting chippy out there.
A PAC resurrected the ILO Group controversy that has gone unmentioned by Helena Foulkes’s campaign. Here’s Gov. McKee’s response on the issue from 2024.
***CD2 Republican Stephen Skoly accuses rival Vic Mellor of embellishing his military record. Mellor said the charge is without foundation, and he said that he, unlike Skoly, is honoring an agreement to not attack each other.
***The two perceived frontrunners in the race for attorney general, Kim Ahern and Keith Hoffmann, and in the tilt for lieutenant governor, incumbent Sabina Matos and lead challenger Xay Khamsyvoravong, are all working furiously for a last-minute edge.
10. TECHNOLOGY
K-12 schools are racing headlong to introduce students to a world filled with AI. The bull market on Wall Street continues due to the dominance of tech stocks. Meanwhile, AI agents are hacking systems without any input from humans. We’re just a few years into this brave new world, so will appropriate safeguards be put into place or are we on our way to a dystopian future?
11. PARTY PIZZA
Using micro-grants of $50 to $150 to fund pizza strip get-togethers of 10 or more while boosting a sense of community? A bravura idea, to be sure. “This is about bringing people together,” said Jessica David, one of the organizers of the initiative, in a recent email: ‘Elaborate dinner parties or major block parties are nice, but they can be challenging to organize. We’re talking about low-stakes, low-lift gatherings.” The group suggests driveway hangs with doughnuts and coffee, popsicles on the porch, apple cider around a firepit, or – of course – a box of pizza strips from your favorite local bakery. The name was inspired by a Rhode Island tradition. “Pizza strips are the original Rhode Island get-together food,” said Jessica Tabak, another organizer. “They make me think of every summer party I ever went to as a kid.” And David pointed out: “Pizza strips were originally made from leftover bread. They made good lunches for workers on sites where refrigeration wasn’t available. That’s the spirit of this initiative – using what we have to bring people together.”
12. KICKER
Will the real Red Sox stand up? The team has ranged from awful to amazing this year and currently stands somewhere in between. New Hampshire native Mickey Gasper, who has had a short-term offensive burst for the ages, is a product of Bryant University. If the Sox could clone him, we might feel more confident about the post-season. But in a reminder that there’s life after baseball, consider the case of Jose Iglesias, who came up as a defensive specialist at shortstop in 2011 and hit better than expected before going to Detroit in the VMart deal. Flash forward and Iglesias just made his Broadway debut in Buena Vista Social Club.
