Rhode Island
Accountability Arrives at the Ballot Box: Foulkes Unseats McKee After the Washington Bridge Reckoning
What happened
On Sept. 9, 2026, former CVS executive Helena Foulkes defeated incumbent Gov. Dan McKee in Rhode Island’s Democratic primary for governor—the first time in 32 years a Rhode Island governor seeking renomination lost a primary, and the first sitting U.S. governor to fall in a primary in eight years, per national coverage.
Local and national outlets tied McKee’s collapse to voter anger over the Washington Bridge crisis (partial closure since late 2023, long disruption, low approval of his handling) and a spending gap that favored Foulkes. Early unofficial tallies reported by major networks showed Foulkes leading by a wide margin (around 62%–38% with substantial precincts in). Foulkes is now the heavy favorite in deep-blue Rhode Island’s November general election.
Separately, state Rep. David Morales defeated incumbent Providence Mayor Brett Smiley in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary—another incumbent loss on the same night.
Original reporting
Read the underlying article:
WPRI 12 — Foulkes wins Democratic primary for governor, unseating McKee (Sept. 9, 2026)
Virtue Forge commentary
Competence is not a slogan. When a critical highway link fails and the political class shrugs for years, voters eventually do the job ethics boards and party machines won’t: they fire the steward.
Healthy American politics requires real consequences for delivery failures. Markets punish firms that can’t keep the lights on; ballots should punish governments that can’t keep the bridges open. That is respectful of citizens’ time and honest about public trust.
Rhode Island still needs humble, trustworthy governance going forward—not just a new letterhead. Unseating an incumbent is the beginning of accountability, not the end of the argument over growth, school choice, and whether the state competes for capital or punishes it.