Gov. McKee Loses; More MO Chaos

Business as usual in Rhode Island; Drama in Missouri

Rhode Island

As polling had been forecasting for months, Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Dan McKee last night became the first Ocean State chief executive in 30 years to lose renomination. He fell last night to former CVS corporation executive Helena Foulkes by a landslide 62-38% margin in the state’s primary election.

Mr. McKee is the 14th incumbent and first Governor to lose renomination in the current election cycle. A total of 11 House members along with two Senators failed to win their party primary. The defeats are bipartisan as eight Democrats and six Republicans lost to intra-party opponents.

Gov. McKee had trailed badly throughout the year. Many observers point to the prolonged construction on Providence’s Washington Bridge, a major Interstate 195 artery linking the capital city to East Providence. With more than 60% of Rhode Island’s population living in Providence County, the closure of the westbound lanes at the end of 2023 – engineers warned of structural concerns – became a persistent political liability. The Governor’s office estimates the project still won’t be completed until 2028.

Lt. Governor Dan McKee ascended to the Governorship in 2021 when then‑Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) resigned to become U.S. Commerce Secretary in the Biden Administration. The following year, he narrowly won a three‑way Democratic primary, defeating Ms. Foulkes and then-Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea with a 33-30-26% split.

Four years later, the Governor couldn’t increase his support base beyond his initial victory percentage. His political standing deteriorated to the point that even the Rhode Island Democratic Party declined to endorse its own incumbent. 

Ms. Foulkes, the niece of former Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd (D), will now have an easy run in the general election in a state where Democrats dominate. The Republican gubernatorial primary has still not been called as we see a close race between trade association executive Aaron Guckian and magazine publisher Elaine Pelino. 

In the Senate race, five‑term incumbent Jack Reed scored another landslide renomination victory, taking 77% against two under‑funded Democratic challengers. The Senator is well positioned to win a sixth term in November.

Both of Rhode Island’s US House members, Reps. Gabe Amo (D‑Providence) and Seth Magaziner (D‑Cranston), ran unopposed for renomination and are heavy favorites in the general election. The 2026 primary season concludes next Tuesday in Delaware.

Missouri

Just when it appeared that Missouri’s congressional redistricting saga had finally reached its conclusion – after US Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied the state’s appeal of a Missouri Supreme Court ruling disqualifying the new Republican map – another chapter is developing.

Justice Kavanaugh, who administers emergency matters for the 8th Circuit, ruled that the ballot initiative to approve or overturn the congressional map may appear on the November ballot. Under Missouri procedure, any qualified initiative that could alter a proposed law suspends that law until voters decide its fate; therefore, the 2026 congressional map is suspended.

Complicating matters further, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued a separate ruling barring the state from reverting to the 2022 map. 

His decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by US Rep. Bob Onder (R-Augusta) and state Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Kansas City), who argued that voters participating in the August 4th primary under the new map would be disenfranchised if district lines were changed afterward. Judge Clark agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument and blocked the state from reinstating the 2022 boundaries.

Congressman Onder represents Missouri’s 3rd District, and Mr. Brattin is the Republican nominee in the 5th District – the seat Republicans expect to flip under the 2026 map. If the 2022 map were restored, the 5th District would likely revert to veteran Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Kansas City).

Election officials now face conflicting directives. The Missouri Supreme Court insists the 2022 map must be used, while the federal ruling states that only the 2026 map is permissible.

The organization People Not Politicians, which spearheaded the ballot initiative, immediately appealed to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, but the appellate court has declined to act on the motion. As a result, the dispute is likely to return to Justice Kavanaugh.

The conflict must be resolved before September 19th, the deadline for Missouri to deliver ballots to overseas voters under federal law.