Home Government Elections Election 2026: Foulkes takes 20-point lead over McKee in WPRI/Emerson poll

Election 2026: Foulkes takes 20-point lead over McKee in WPRI/Emerson poll

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PBN Staff

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05/20/2026

governorrace-1 — DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL challenger Helena Foulkes has widened her lead over incumbent Gov. Daniel J. McKee to 20 points, according to a new poll by by WPRI-TV and Emerson College. / PBN FILE PHOTOS/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – A new poll of likely voters shows Democrat Helena Foulkes with a commanding lead over incumbent Gov. Daniel J. McKee in the upcoming gubernatorial Democratic primary on Sept. 9, with more than one-third of respondents saying they’re still undecided. Foulkes holds a 20-point lead over McKee in a poll released by WPRI-TV CBS 12

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PROVIDENCE – A new poll of likely voters shows Democrat Helena Foulkes with a commanding lead over incumbent Gov. Daniel J. McKee in the upcoming gubernatorial Democratic primary on Sept. 9, with more than one-third of respondents saying they're still undecided. Foulkes holds a 20-point lead over McKee in a poll released by WPRI-TV CBS 12 and Emerson College on Tuesday. According to the results from the 565 likely voters surveyed, 40% said they would vote for Foulkes, 20% said they would choose McKee, 37% remain undecided and 3% said they would pick someone else. The poll has a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points. The WPRI poll added to a growing number of survey’s where McKee’s numbers have lagged. In April, Foulkes had a 34-point lead over McKee in a poll by the University of New Hampshire. The poll questioned 718 Rhode Island residents, including 328 likely voters, between April 16-20. Forty-five percent said they would vote for Foulkes, a former CVS Health Corp. executive, if the primary were held that month, while 11% said they would vote McKee, 3% said they would vote for restaurateur Gregory D. Stevens, 2% said they would vote for another candidate, and 39% said they were undecided. Stevens, who owns Pat’s Italian Restaurant in Coventry, Cumberland and Johnston, joined the Democratic field on Nov. 13. Barrington businessman Ken Block declared his candidacy for governor on April 2, marking his third attempt at the state’s highest office and his first as an Independent. In a Morning Consult poll released on Feb. 3, McKee’s approval rating climbed to 49%, a significant improvement from his 40% approval rating in Morning Consult’s poll that ran from July to September 2025, which was the lowest rating of all U.S. governors in that poll. In the WPRI/Emerson poll, 60% of the voters surveyed had an unfavorable view of McKee while 21% had a favorable view. About 29% viewed Foulkes unfavorably and 27% had a favorable view. Along party lines, 43% of Democrats surveyed had an unfavorable view of McKee while 29% said the same of Foulkes. About 65% of Republicans surveyed had an unfavorable view of McKee compared with 31% for Foulkes. Among independents, 70% viewed McKee unfavorably compared with 34% for Foulkes.