Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee faced another setback in his bid for re-election when the RI AFL-CIO decided Wednesday not to endorse him in his race against rival Democrat Helena Foulkes.
Federation President Patrick Crowley said the AFL-CIO’s 15-member executive committee had a long discussion about the pros and cons of each candidate and “the consensus was that we don’t have a consensus, so therefore we will not be making an endorsement in the governor’s race.”
The lack of an endorsement by Rhode Island’s largest labor federation – with 80,000 members – is a perceptual win for Foulkes, the former CVS Health executive who has maintained a double-digit lead over McKee in a series of polls.
Asked what changed since the RI AFL-CIO endorsed McKee in 2022, Crowley said, “Based on the discussion amongst our leaders, we just didn’t feel that we could get to a consensus where there was an opinion that we could be unified about.”
Crowley said the lack of consensus was not influenced by months of polling showing Foulkes as the frontrunner in the race.
The decision marks a rare move for the RI AFL-CIO, which typically backs Democratic incumbents seeking another term. The outcome follows the state Democratic Party’s decision not to endorse either candidate, and the SEIU State Council’s endorsement of Foulkes.
McKee has won support from the United Food and Commercial Workers and is expected to pick up a Teamsters’ endorsement Thursday, July 16.
Union support provided a vital assist for McKee in 2022, when he wound up beating Foulkes by three percentage points as she was gaining support.
As a large federation, the AFL-CIO can help to fuel electoral support for candidates.
McKee’s campaign declined to comment on the outcome of the endorsement meeting.
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from Foulkes’ campaign.
McKee, 74, inherited the governor’s office when Gina Raimondo became United States Commerce Secretary in 2021, and he won a four-year term in 2022.In the years since, he has been shadowed by the emergency closing of the Washington Bridge in 2023, a source of irritation for many Rhode Islanders.
McKee has also faced criticism for signing a moratorium on new charter schools – a sharply at odds stance on an issue on which he made his political name.
In a recent interview with Ocean State Media, Foulkes said she would veto the three-year moratorium on new charter schools.
McKee faced opposition from the RI AFL-CIO during his first run for lieutenant governor. At the time, George Nee, the federation’s president, told The Providence Journal that the stance was based in part on McKee’s support for charter schools.
The primary between McKee and Foulkes ends Sept. 9. Early voting begins Aug. 20.
