Gov. Daniel J. McKee and his top Democratic rival, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, each reported the largest quarterly hauls of their 2026 campaigns, according to reports filed with the R.I. Board of Elections April 23.
Also growing: the cash gap between the two, with Foulkes reporting $1.1 million in donations in the first three months of the year, compared with $490,000 brought in by McKee’s campaign. Foulkes, a former CVS executive, ended the quarter with $3.6 million cash on hand, including a $1.8 million personal loan. McKee’s balance as of March 31 stood at $1.36 million, including a personal loan of nearly $22,000.
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Foulkes spent $278,000, while McKee spent more than $247,700, each mostly on consultants and staffers.
The newly released campaign finance reports come on the heels of a string of new polls showing continued low approval ratings for McKee and a growing lead for Foulkes among prospective Democratic primary voters.
Angelika Pelligrino, a spokesperson for Foulkes’ campaign, touted the latest fundraising report as evidence of the “strong enthusiasm” for the candidate.
“With all of the chaos and corruption coming out of the Trump administration, the stakes couldn’t be higher for electing a Democratic governor,” Pelligrino said in a statement Tuesday. “Last quarter’s fundraising numbers show the strong enthusiasm around Helena’s vision for making Rhode Island a place where families can afford to live. Helena has been out on the road sharing her plans to tackle the housing crisis and rein in out-of-control utility prices, and she looks forward to continuing to earn Rhode Islanders’ support in the months ahead.”
Sophie Mestas, a spokesperson for McKee’s campaign, also touted the incumbent governor’s support among working-class families and union members.
“He’s gone up against wealthy elite interests trying to buy their way into office before and won — and he’ll prevail once again,” Mestas said in a statement Friday.
Thirteen hours before the midnight deadline to submit first-quarter reports to the Board of Elections, McKee’s campaign again attacked Foulkes for her old job at CVS amid ongoing scrutiny and lawsuits against the pharmaceutical giant and its suppliers over its role in the opioid crisis. In addition to serving as CVS Pharmacy president from 2014 to 2018, Foulkes also chaired the board for the University of Connecticut Dodd Center – dedicated to her uncle and grandfather, both former U.S. senators – which received funding from the Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma.
“This week, a federal court held Purdue Pharma accountable for one of the deadliest corporate crimes in American history – and Helena Foulkes still can’t bring herself to say a single word,” Sophie Mestas, McKee campaign spokesperson, said in a statement. “Rhode Islanders deserve to hear how she justifies her decades of entanglement with the Sackler family.”
Over $14,000 of the donations Foulkes received in the first three months of the year came from CVS employees and executives. And she received a $1,000 donation from Tim Hourigan, the former The Home Depot executive vice president of human resources, who retired in June 2025.
Foulkes’ campaign turned the microscope back on McKee, pointing to past donations made by Jonathan Sackler, the late co-owner of Purdue Pharma, to McKee during his time as lieutenant governor. Sackler donated $1,000 to McKee in 2013, 2014 and 2015. His wife, Mary Corson, also donated $1,000 to McKee.
“Helena strongly believes that the Sacklers should be in jail and the only person in this race who has ever taken campaign cash from the Sacklers is Dan McKee,” Pelligrino said in an emailed response.
McKee donated the $4,000 given to his campaign by the Sackler family to local charities during his 2018 reelection campaign amid attacks from primary challenger Aaron Regunberg, according to news reports.
Foulkes has previously dismissed allegations about her role in the opioid crisis as unfounded, while shrugging off attacks about The Home Depot’s right-leaning politics. Instead, her campaign has focused on McKee’s record as governor, including the Washington Bridge closure and prolonged rebuild, the late 2024 cyberattack on the state public benefits platform, and, more recently, a string of botched tax forms for state workers.
The usual election season focus on infrastructure woes and economic growth has also featured a niche discussion on high-heat sewage processing, or pyrolysis, thanks to a divisive project proposed, and temporarily paused, in the Quonset Business Park. McKee and Foulkes both attended the North Kingstown Town Council meeting Monday to show support for the 600-person crowd of opponents that packed the meeting to voice frustrations with the project developer and Quonset Development Corporation board which approved the initial lease.
Mark DePasquale, CEO of Green Development, the parent company behind the $250 million sludge pyrolysis project in Quonset, donated $1,000 to McKee’s campaign in the first quarter of the year. John McCauley, vice president of strategic partnerships for Green, also donated $1,000.
Mestas reiterated McKee’s opposition to the project when asked for comment on the donations Friday.
“Governor McKee’s presence in North Kingstown on Monday made his position clear – he stands with the community in opposition to the development of the sludge processing plant in Quonset Business Park,” Mestas said in a statement.
Other noteworthy donations to McKee’s reelection campaign include: $2,000 from Bruce Van Saun, president and CEO of Citizens Bank; $1,000 from Liz Beretta-Perik, chairwoman of the Rhode Island Democratic Party; and $500 from Jeff Liebman, CEO of CharterCare Health of Rhode Island, the new owner of Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital.
Two recent gubernatorial appointees also donated to McKee’s campaign prior to their nominations by the executive branch. William Tsonos, president and CEO of Beacon Bank, donated $2,000 to McKee in January; he was nominated and confirmed as chair of the Rhode Island Life Science Hub board in March. Donna Sams, who also serves with McKee on the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation Board of Directors, donated $500 to his campaign in January. Sams was nominated by McKee to a $140,000-a-year position on the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission in March, despite not having any experience in energy policy. She has not yet been confirmed by the R.I. Senate.
Foulkes, meanwhile, received $2,000 apiece from longtime supporters Frohman and Kim Anderson, the owners of the now-closed Plant City restaurant in Providence. The couple is also facing a legal challenge from the restaurant building landlord over financial delinquency and property damage. Foulkes also received $2,000 each from two top executives at Costco – where she serves on the board – and $2,000 each from former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi was college roommates with Foulkes’ late mother and headlined a fundraiser for Foulkes during her 2022 gubernatorial campaign.
Despite the growing tension between the two competitors, more than a half dozen people donated to both campaigns. John Fernandez, CEO of Brown University Health, gave $2,000 to each candidate, as did Nicholas Schorsch, whose company Heritage Restaurant Group, has spent more than $125 million buying restaurants across the state over the last year. Matunuck Oyster Bar Perry Raso donated $1,000 to each candidate, as did John Galvin, CEO of AAA Northeast; and former Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch.
An even more surprising crossover came from John Hazen White Jr., executive chairman of Rhode Island-based manufacturing giant Taco, Inc. White donated $2,000 to McKee’s campaign and $1,000 to Republican candidate Aaron Guckian.
Foulkes and McKee have attracted the most eyes and donors to their campaigns, but the race features an ever-widening field of candidates from all parties. Most recently, two-time gubernatorial candidate Ken Block announced his campaign as a moderate candidate. Block’s April 2 announcement came after the first-quarter financial reporting period closed on March 31. But, he has a $1 million personal loan still outstanding from his prior campaigns.
Gregory Stevens, a local restaurant owner, is also running as a Democrat. He raised $48 during the first quarter of the year, with a $474 balance as of March 31.
Guckian, former aide to Gov. Don Carcieri, is one of three Republicans vying for the executive seat in the Sept. 9 primary. Guckian raised $33,800 in first-quarter donations, ending the reporting period with $76,400 cash on hand, including a $10,000 personal loan. Retired comedian Elaine Pelino reported $1,000 in donations, with a $3,000 balance that includes a $500 personal loan.
A third Republican, Robert Raimondo, held a campaign kickoff in January to announce his candidacy. However, Raimondo, who says he is distantly related to former Gov. Gina Raimondo, closed his campaign finance account with the state elections board after raising and spending no money in the first quarter of the year.
Raimondo did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment on Friday.
The primary is Wednesday, Sept. 9, with a Nov. 3 general election.
Nancy Lavin is a senior reporter for the Rhode Island Current.
