Helena Foulkes will defeat Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, CNN projects, marking a rare incumbent primary loss

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Former CVS executive Helena Foulkes will win the Democratic nomination for governor of Rhode Island, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, defeating incumbent Gov. Dan McKee as she capitalized on voter frustration over the partial closure of a key bridge and the ensuing traffic chaos.

Used by tens of thousands of commuters daily, the westbound lanes of the Washington Bridge in Providence closed in 2023 amid concerns of collapse. While McKee, who was first elevated from lieutenant governor to the top job in 2021, has defended the decision, the lengthy repair became a political liability as he sought a second elected term.

Four years after narrowly losing in her first primary showdown, Foulkes rode the wave of anti-establishment sentiment sweeping through the Democratic Party and McKee’s deep unpopularity in the state to the rare primary defeat of an incumbent governor.

“I’m not running just on the Washington Bridge,” Foulkes told local broadcaster WJAR earlier this year. “I’m running because I love this state. I want people who are here to be able to afford to live here, to get a great paying job, to make state government really work for them.”

In a year that has seen discontented voters oust several veteran Democrats in House contests, Wednesday’s election marked the first casualty in a governor’s race. McKee is the first incumbent from either party to lose a gubernatorial primary in eight years.

Despite the heated race, McKee and Foulkes had less ideological distance between them compared to candidates in other divisive Democratic primaries this year, both offering voters a mainstream vision of liberal governance. Democrats remain favored in the general election in the blue state, though the presence of third-party candidate Ken Block presents a wildcard.

Whoever holds the governor’s office next, however, will still have to contend with the problems surrounding the bridge, which is still years away from reopening.

“The bridge has been just a millstone around McKee’s neck. It wasn’t his fault. It just happened, and you know anybody that got stuck with that already had a problem,” said Maureen Moakley, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Rhode Island. “I guess the underlying point is traffic can do anybody in and get you crazy,” she added.

Three years ago, engineers discovered structural failures to some parts of the Washington Bridge, which carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River, dangerous enough that McKee and state transit officials ordered an emergency shutdown of the westbound lanes.

Since then, that portion of the bridge has been demolished, and work is underway on its replacement. Over the summer, McKee’s administration touted its expectations that the project would be finished by November 2028.

But in the smallest US state by land area, the ongoing closure has been felt everywhere. Traffic remains badly jammed, prolonging commutes and straining alternative routes.

Julia Millon, a teacher who lives in Providence, said she moved to the state in 2021 but had to relocate neighborhoods after the bridge closure routed heavy traffic through her street.

“There were massive trucks coming down at like four in the morning, and the street was not built for that. The amount of potholes, it was just destroyed,” she said. “My house would be shaking at like four in the morning from these semis coming down a residential street, and the traffic just became like impossible, so I ended up moving away.”

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And for McKee, it became a major political concern amid persistent questions about the bridge’s inspections and maintenance. According to a poll from the University of New Hampshire in August, 80% of Rhode Islanders disapproved of McKee’s job as governor, with his handling of transportation and infrastructure the most commonly mentioned reason for disapproval.

While Millon ultimately voted for McKee, she noted that the bridge situation had caused “a lot of distrust.”

“The fact that it had gone — it was so catastrophic and somehow went unnoticed for so long that so many questions are being raised,” she said.

McKee placed the blame on former contractors who worked on the original structure, and the state is suing, alleging negligence, among other claims. But the governor faced blowback in the state legislature last fall after the release of an audit , which he’d delayed for over a year, that called out failures by both former contractors and successive governmental administrations.

The saga became a focal point of Foulkes’ campaign against McKee. She argued that McKee politicized the bidding process for bridge reconstruction, costing residents tax dollars and time, and she criticized his decision to retain the state Department of Transportation head, Peter Alviti, until his resignation earlier this year.

“This is the poster child for mismanagement. This is the poster child for it. We have the worst roads and bridges in the country,” she argued at a contentious debate last month.

McKee denied Foulkes’ allegations and defended his leadership while conceding the difficulties that the bridge repairs had caused. “We kept people safe. It’s been a pain in the ass for everybody. I haven’t denied that,” he said at the same debate. “But the alternative would’ve been far worse.”

His campaign also ran a TV ad addressing the issue. “When I became governor, it was clear our leaders had kicked the can down the road on many challenges. The Washington Bridge was a disaster. I shut it down to keep us safe,” he said in the spot .

Traffic woes were further exacerbated in April, when a highway on-ramp collapsed. And like many states, other bread-and-butter issues around housing affordability and electricity rates have been major concerns for voters in Rhode Island.

Mike Raia, a Democratic strategist from Rhode Island who previously worked for former Gov. Gina Raimondo and now supports Foulkes, said the race showed that “competency does matter.”

Under normal circumstances, he said, McKee might have faced a primary challenger who ran from his left as an anti-establishment option. “But in a place where it became a referendum on that competency, it brought in a challenger who is kind of focused on the blocking and tackling and the nuts and bolts of making government work,” Raia said.

“This time the resistance is effective governance and governing well,” said Eric Hyers, the Foulkes campaign’s general consultant. “We have to show the voters that when you trust us with power, we make your life better, deliver, and get things done.”

McKee became governor in 2021, when then-President Joe Biden tapped Raimondo to serve as his commerce secretary.

This year’s primary served as a rematch of the contest in 2022, when McKee faced Foulkes for the nomination in his bid for a first full term. He won that year in a crowded race, capturing just under a third of the vote while Foulkes finished just a few thousand votes behind him.

While Foulkes highlighted McKee’s governing record, he sought to link the former CVS executive to the pharmaceutical industry’s role in the opioid crisis. His campaign seized on a federal lawsuit in 2024 against CVS, which did not name any individuals, alleging that the company worsened the crisis.

Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

McKee’s campaign also ran multiple attack ads highlighting the lawsuit and Foulkes’ connection. “On Helena Foulkes’ watch, CVS put profits over safety,” one of the ads said.

Foulkes pushed back on the attacks in the first TV ad of her campaign. “I tackled the opioid crisis head on, cutting off pill mill doctors, limiting the number of pills, and overseeing an almost 40% reduction in opioid prescriptions,” she said of her time at CVS in the spot. The company has also denied wrongdoing.

She also benefited from prominent support in the form of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime friend of Foulkes’ mother, who joined her on the campaign trail with a little over a week to go in the race.

“Part of the Democratic Party has always been about, this is ok, but we have to do better. And she is really a great messenger, advocate, leader, and courageous one, in that regard. So proud to support her,” Pelosi told reporters during the visit.

The race grew heated as it wore on. At the final debate last month, the candidates clashed in an explosive exchange as McKee accused Foulkes of disparaging the state as she criticized his record.

“You keep on disparaging the state of Rhode Island every single chance you get,” McKee said. “You’re not a cheerleader for this state.”

Foulkes responded, “I am certainly not disparaging the state of Rhode Island, I’m disparaging its governor.”

“I am the State of Rhode Island!” McKee shot back.

Democratic primary voters ultimately disagreed.

马修·J·李/波士顿环球报/盖蒂图片社

据 CNN 决策台预测，前 CVS 高管海伦娜·福克斯将赢得罗德岛州州长民主党提名，击败现任州长丹·麦基。她利用了选民对一座重要桥梁部分封闭以及由此造成的交通混乱的不满情绪。

每天有数万通勤者使用普罗维登斯华盛顿大桥西行车道，由于担心桥梁坍塌，该桥于2023年关闭。麦基于2021年从副州长升任州长，他为这一决定辩护，但漫长的维修工程在他寻求连任时却成了他的政治包袱。

在首次初选惜败四年后，福克斯乘着席卷民主党的反建制情绪浪潮以及麦基在该州极低的民意支持率，罕见地在初选中击败了现任州长。

“我竞选不仅仅是为了华盛顿大桥，”福克斯今年早些时候告诉当地广播公司WJAR，“我竞选是因为我热爱这个州。我希望生活在这里的人们能够负担得起这里的生活，找到一份高薪工作，让州政府真正为他们服务。”

在今年众议院选举中，不满的选民已经将几位资深民主党人赶下台，而周三的选举标志着州长竞选中首次出现败选者。麦基是八年来首位在州长初选中落败的现任州长，无论来自哪个党派。

尽管竞争激烈，但与今年其他民主党初选中的候选人相比，麦基和福克斯的意识形态分歧较小，两人都向选民提供了主流的自由主义治理理念。在这个民主党占优势的州，民主党在普选中仍然占据优势，但第三方候选人肯·布洛克的出现带来了变数。

然而，无论下一任州长是谁，他仍然需要应对围绕这座桥梁的各种问题，而这座桥梁距离重新开放还有数年时间。

“这座桥简直成了麦基的累赘。这不是他的错，事情就这么发生了，而且你知道，任何被困在这座桥上的人本来就有很多问题，”罗德岛大学政治学荣誉教授莫琳·莫克利说道。“我想，关键在于交通问题能把任何人逼疯，”她补充道。

三年前，工程师们发现华盛顿大桥（195 号州际公路跨越锡康克河）的部分结构出现故障，情况十分危险，以至于麦基和州交通官员下令紧急关闭西行车道。

此后，桥梁的那部分已被拆除，重建工作正在进行中。今年夏天，麦基政府曾大力宣传该项目预计将于2028年11月完工。

但在美国面积最小的州，持续的道路封闭影响无处不在。交通依然严重拥堵，延长了通勤时间，也给替代路线带来了巨大压力。

居住在普罗维登斯的教师朱莉娅·米伦表示，她于 2021 年搬到该州，但由于桥梁封闭导致大量车辆涌入她所在的街道，她不得不搬迁到其他社区。

“凌晨四点左右，就有巨型卡车呼啸而过，这条街根本承受不了这种冲击。路面坑坑洼洼，简直惨不忍睹，”她说。“凌晨四点，这些半挂卡车从居民区街道上呼啸而过，震得我家房子都在晃动，交通状况也变得极其糟糕，所以我最后搬走了。”

John Tlumacki/《波士顿环球报》/Getty Images

对麦基而言，由于人们对大桥的检查和维护持续质疑，这成为了一个重大的政治问题。根据新罕布什尔大学8月份的一项民意调查，80%的罗德岛州居民对麦基担任州长的表现表示不满，其中最常被提及的不满原因是他对交通和基础设施的处理不当。

虽然米伦最终投票支持麦基，但她指出，桥梁事件造成了“很多不信任”。

“这件事的发生——这是一场灾难，而且不知何故，这么长时间都没有人注意到，这引发了很多疑问，”她说。

麦基将责任归咎于参与原建筑施工的前承包商，州政府已提起诉讼，指控他们存在疏忽等行为。但去年秋天，一份被他拖延了一年多的审计报告公布后，州长在州议会遭到强烈抨击。这份报告指出，前承包商和历届政府都存在失职行为。

这件事成了福克斯竞选反对麦基的焦点。她认为麦基将桥梁重建的招标过程政治化，浪费了居民的税款和时间，她还批评他决定留任州交通运输部部长彼得·阿尔维蒂，直到他今年早些时候辞职。

“这就是管理不善的典型例子。这就是管理不善的典型例子。我们拥有全国最差的道路和桥梁，”她在上个月一场激烈的辩论中辩称。

麦基否认了福克斯的指控，并为自己的领导能力辩护，同时也承认桥梁维修工作带来了诸多困难。“我们保障了人们的安全。这对每个人来说都是件麻烦事，我并不否认这一点，”他在同一场辩论中说道。“但如果不维修，情况会糟糕得多。”

他的竞选团队还播放了一则电视广告来回应这个问题。他在广告中说：“当我当选州长时，很明显，我们的领导人在很多挑战上都拖延不决。华盛顿大桥简直是一场灾难。我关闭了它，以确保我们的安全。”

四月份，一条高速公路匝道坍塌，交通拥堵问题进一步加剧。与许多州一样，住房负担能力和电价等民生问题也一直是罗德岛选民关注的焦点。

来自罗德岛的民主党策略师迈克·雷亚（Mike Raia）曾为前州长吉娜·雷蒙多（Gina Raimondo）工作，现在支持福克斯（Foulkes）。他表示，这场竞选表明“能力确实很重要”。

他说，在正常情况下，麦基可能会面临一位来自左翼、代表反建制派的初选挑战者。“但在一个最终考验执政能力的选战中，一位专注于政府日常运作、注重细节的挑战者脱颖而出，”拉亚说道。

“这次的阻力来自有效的治理和良好的治理，”福克斯竞选团队的总顾问埃里克·海尔斯说。“我们必须向选民证明，当你们信任我们并赋予我们权力时，我们会改善你们的生活，兑现承诺，把事情做好。”

2021年，麦基当选州长，当时的总统乔·拜登任命雷蒙多担任商务部长。

今年的初选实际上是2022年那场竞选的重演。当时，麦基与福克斯争夺提名，力图开启他的第一个完整任期。那一年，麦基在竞争激烈的选战中胜出，获得了近三分之一的选票，而福克斯仅以几千票之差落后。

福克斯在强调麦基的执政记录的同时，也试图将这位前CVS高管与制药行业在阿片类药物危机中所扮演的角色联系起来。他的竞选团队抓住2024年一起针对CVS的联邦诉讼大做文章。该诉讼并未指名道姓，但指控CVS加剧了这场危机。

Suzanne Kreiter/《波士顿环球报》/Getty Images

麦基的竞选团队还投放了多则攻击性广告，重点强调这起诉讼以及福克斯与此事的关系。其中一则广告称：“在海伦娜·福克斯的领导下，CVS将利润置于安全之上。”

在竞选的首支电视广告中，福克斯反击了这些攻击。她在广告中谈到自己在CVS任职期间的经历时说：“我直面阿片类药物危机，切断了非法开药的医生，限制了药丸数量，并监督将阿片类药物处方量减少了近40%。”该公司也否认存在不当行为。

她还得到了前众议院议长南希·佩洛西的鼎力支持。佩洛西是福克斯母亲的多年好友，在距离竞选结束还有一周多一点的时候，她加入了福克斯的竞选活动。

佩洛西在访问期间告诉记者：“民主党的一部分人一直认为，现在这样还可以，但我们必须做得更好。在这方面，她是一位非常优秀的传播者、倡导者、领导者和勇敢者。我为支持她感到无比自豪。”

随着竞选的进行，竞争日趋激烈。在上个月的最后一场辩论中，两位候选人爆发了激烈的交锋，麦基指责福克斯诋毁该州，并批评了他的政绩。

“你抓住一切机会诋毁罗德岛州，”麦基说。“你根本不是这个州的支持者。”

福克斯回应道：“我当然不是在贬低罗德岛州，我是在贬低它的州长。”

“我就是罗德岛州！”麦基反驳道。

民主党初选选民最终并不认同这一观点。