On the fourth anniversary of the day when he inherited Rhode Island’s top political office, Gov. Dan McKee used a video announcement to tout his record and ask voters to give him another four years in office.
The two-minute video paints a contrast between conditions when McKee became governor — when the Covid pandemic was still raging — and how some things have changed since then. It steers clear of mentioning problems associated with the Washington Bridge and a cyber-breach of the state’s online portal for health and human services.
The video points to improved student attendance, McKee’s signing of three gun-safety bills and it describes the 73-year-old Cumberland Democrat as someone “who will protect our state from [President] Trump’s radical agenda and chaotic leadership.”
“For the first time in five years, Rhode Island saw a decrease in overdose deaths,” McKee said in one part of the video. “The Department of Transportation secured a $251 million federal grant to take on the largest bridge project in Rhode Island history, and our state’s GDP grew by 3.6%, outpacing New England and the U.S.”
The campaign of former CVS Health executive Helena Foulkes, who narrowly lost the 2022 Democratic primary to McKee and is gearing up for a rematch, said in a statement, “With all the challenges facing our state and chaos in DC, Rhode Islanders deserve less self-congratulation and more focus on their everyday concerns.”
Foulkes’ spokesman Jon Romano added: “The status quo for Rhode Island isn’t working. Only 29% of Rhode Islanders think the state is heading in the right direction, Hasbro is on the verge of leaving for Boston, housing is unaffordable for far too many, the Washington Bridge still isn’t getting rebuilt, our schools are underperforming and we’re up against a $300 million budget shortfall — with looming threats from the Trump administration to cut vital services for our most vulnerable.”
McKee, a former Cumberland mayor, was serving his second term as lieutenant governor and ascended when Gov. Gina Raimondo was selected by President Biden as U.S. commerce secretary in March 2021.
McKee beat Foulkes by about three points in the 2022 primary, and he went to defeat GOP opponent Ashley Kalus, a recent transplant from out of state, by almost 20 points in the November 2022 election.
If McKee wins re-election next year and completes his second full term, he will have almost a 10-year run as governor.
However, a Rhode Island AFL-CIO poll released last week found that just 29% of Rhode Islanders think the state is headed in the right direction.
In 2013, then-Gov. Lincoln Chafee switched his party affiliation from independent to Democrat and then decided against seeking re-election due to his low standing with voters.
House Speaker Joe Shekarchi has said that he can’t see himself running against McKee, although Shekarchi is still considered a potential Democratic candidate for governor next year. He has more than $3 million in his campaign account and is likely to be the support of organized labor if McKee were to drop out of the race.
McKee has a $552,000 balance in his campaign account, while Foulkes has a little more than $1 million on hand.
Attorney General Peter Neronha has not totally shut the door on a possible run for governor next year and he is also contemplating pursuing the lieutenant governor’s office.
This story was reported by The Public’s Radio.
