1 month ago
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee was defeated in his Democratic primary on Wednesday by businesswoman Helena Foulkes, making him the first sitting governor in the United States to lose a party nomination since 2018.
The race was a rematch of the 2022 Democratic primary, where McKee narrowly beat Foulkes by a few percentage points. McKee's loss adds his name to a growing list of incumbent officeholders who have been unseated during the 2026 primary season.
McKee first assumed the office of governor in 2021, taking over after then-Governor Gina Raimondo resigned to serve as the Commerce Secretary in the Biden administration. Prior to his governorship, McKee served as a two-term lieutenant governor and as the mayor of Cumberland. He went on to win his first full term in 2022 after emerging from a crowded Democratic primary field that included Foulkes.
The last incumbent governor to be denied their party's nomination was Kansas
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