Home Government Elections McKee announces reelection bid via campaign video

McKee announces reelection bid via campaign video

By

PBN Staff

-

03/03/2025

Mckee-PBN — GOV. DANIEL J. McKee will seek another four-year term in 2026. /PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – It’s official, Gov. Daniel J. McKee will seek another four-year term in 2026. In a two-minute video released by his campaign Monday morning, the incumbent state governor touted his record since taking office in March 2021 when former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo resigned to join then-President Joe Biden’s cabinet. “I know the chapter

Already a Subscriber? Log in

To Continue Reading This Article

Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Critical RI business news and analysis updated daily.
1 year of print (26 issues).
Unlimited access to all subscriber only content on our website, on any device.
Free email alerts.
Annual Book of Lists Print Edition.
All special issues produced during subscription term.

Click Here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article

PBN Branded Content

Long-Term Energy Partnership Powers Success at Quonset Business Park

Quonset Business Park, located in North Kingstown, has long been a major driver of Rhode…

Learn More

No posts to display

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

PROVIDENCE – It’s official, Gov. Daniel J. McKee will seek another four-year term in 2026. In a two-minute video released by his campaign Monday morning, the incumbent state governor touted his record since taking office in March 2021 when former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo resigned to join then-President Joe Biden’s cabinet. “I know the chapter we are writing today will be Rhode Island’s best one yet,” McKee said in the video. “We are just getting started.” The video cycles through McKee’s perceived accomplishments as governor, including getting the state back on its feet economically after the pandemic, signing three gun safety laws, $120 million in funding budgeted to boost affordable housing and mitigating school absenteeism. However, the temporary lane closure on the Washington Bridge is not specifically addressed. Instead, the campaign video touts how “the department of transportation secured a $251 million federal grant to take on the largest bridge project in Rhode Island history.” The video also says McKee is “fighting for our state from Trump’s radical agenda and chaotic leadership. A news soundbite on the video proclaims, "Rhode Island leaders will not support President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan." McKee could face former CVS Health Corp. executive Helena B. Foulkes again in a Democratic primary. McKee defeated Foulkes in 2002 by 3 percentage points. Although she has not officially entered the 2026 race, The Rhode Island Current reported last month Foulkes reported more than $241,000 in fourth-quarter campaign donations, while McKee raked in more than $107,000. Foulkes maintains a war chest advantage, sitting on $1.04 million cash, compared to McKee’s $552,000. McKee’s approval rating did improve in the fourth quarter, however he is the least-liked governor, according to a poll released by the Morning Consult on Jan. 17. The poll showed the governor’s approval rating in the fourth quarter of 2024 was 44%, while his disapproval rating was 40% – the highest of all New England governors. In the third quarter, McKee’s approval rating was 42%. While both his approval and disapproval ratings got better over the second and third quarters, McKee’s latest job-performance rating is still down from the 49% approval and 41% disapproval ratings from the start of last year. The last time McKee’s approval rating was higher than 50% was in the second quarter of 2023, Morning Consult says, where he gained a 52% approval rating. McKee’s highest rating was in the third quarter of 2021 – 60% – around the period when he became interim governor.