With a little less than a year until the September 2026 Democratic primary, Gov. Dan McKee and Rob Silverstein —who started as McKee’s campaign manager in early June — have agreed to go their separate ways.
“The McKee campaign and Rob Silverstein have mutually agreed to part ways,” the governor’s campaign said in a brief statement. “Both sides wish each other well. The governor remains focused on serving the people of Rhode Island and continuing to run a strong reelection campaign to keep delivering results for working families.”
Neither McKee’s campaign nor Silverstein would elaborate on the reasons for the change in leadership in the governor’s campaign.
The change comes as McKee faces low approval ratings, fallout from the Washington Bridge, and expected and potential Democratic rivals with far larger campaign accounts.
Former CVS Health executive Helena Foulkes narrowly lost the Democratic primary to McKee in 2022. At the end of June, she had more than twice the amount of campaign money on hand as McKee.
Though she has not formally declared for the race, The Public’s Radio reported last month that Foulkes has hired campaign strategist Eric Hyers, who has a record of wins in Rhode Island and such red states as Kentucky and Montana.
House Speaker Joe Shekarchi is considering a run for governor and he has almost $4 million in his campaign account. Attorney General Peter Neronha is also considering a bid for governor.
