Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee faces rematch with Helena Foulkes amid turmoil over Washington Bridge

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee faces rematch with Helena Foulkes amid turmoil over Washington Bridge 1 of 3 | Candidate for Rhode Island governor Helena Buonanno Foulkes speaks during a Get Out the Vote event, Aug. 30, 2026, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell, File) 2 of 3 | Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee speaks at the local Democratic Party headquarters in Johnston, R.I., Nov. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) 3 of 3 | Diverted traffic passes a closed portion of Washington Bridge, March 8, 2024, in Providence" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="142651" data-entity-type="location">East Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File) 1 of 3 | Candidate for Rhode Island governor Helena Buonanno Foulkes speaks during a Get Out the Vote event, Aug. 30, 2026, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell, File) 1 of 3 Candidate for Rhode Island governor Helena Buonanno Foulkes speaks during a Get Out the Vote event, Aug. 30, 2026, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 3 | Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee speaks at the local Democratic Party headquarters in Johnston, R.I., Nov. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) 2 of 3 Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee speaks at the local Democratic Party headquarters in Johnston, R.I., Nov. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 3 | Diverted traffic passes a closed portion of Washington Bridge, March 8, 2024, in Providence" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="142651" data-entity-type="location">East Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File) 3 of 3 Diverted traffic passes a closed portion of Washington Bridge, March 8, 2024, in Providence" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="142651" data-entity-type="location">East Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Providence, R.I. (AP) — Four years ago, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee was celebrating his narrow victory in the Democratic primary surrounded by supporters, when someone handed him phone — it was his opponent simply calling to concede. “That’s not going to happen,” he said, waving the phone away. “Hang up on them.”Now, the woman he dismissed, Helena Foulkes, is challenging him to a rematch. And McKee is desperate to avoid not only becoming the first U.S. governor to lose a primary since 2018 but also the first Rhode Island governor to lose a primary in more than 30 years.Foulkes, a former executive at CVS Health, has outraised the incumbent and flooded the airwaves with campaign ads.And unlike four years ago, Democratic voters this election year have increasingly shown a willingness to oust incumbents. McKee, 75, will also have to overcome simmering anger over a bridge repair project that has dragged on longer than expected.“I think that what I’ve really learned in the last four years, in a deeper way, is how much people feel like state government just works with a powerful few,” Foulkes, 62, said in an interview. “They also hear the leader of the state saying ‘everything’s great’ and they’re saying, ‘I really worry about a good paying job.’”The winner of the Sept. 9 primary in Democratic-leaning Rhode Island will be the heavy favorite to win the general election. Bridge drama haunts the campaignBeside Foulkes, McKee’s other nemesis in the campaign is a critical bridge in Providence, Rhode Island — New England’s third-largest city.In 2023, McKee closed the westbound side of Washington Bridge after state officials flagged a “critical failure” and announced repairs would take several months.The partial closure quickly rippled throughout the region. The bridge carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River from Providence to Providence" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="142651" data-entity-type="location">East Providence, as well as the south coast of Massachusetts and Cape Cod. Nearly 100,000 vehicles cross it every day, which now must pass through entirely on the reconfigured eastbound side.Repairs have since taken much longer than promised as costs have increased from initial estimates, creating plenty of material for Foulkes to criticize McKee’s leadership.