U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., will face Republican Rep. Patricia Morgan in November, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary.
Whitehouse resoundingly held off a long-shot bid by Michael J. Costa, a Bristol resident and former Republican who briefly ran for governor in 2022, 82.3% to 17.71%
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“I work hard every single day on behalf of all Rhode Islanders, and I am honored and grateful to have their overwhelming support today,” Whitehouse said in a statement. “If voters here and across the country put their trust in Democrats, we will grow the middle class, protect democracy, and leave this planet a better, safer place for our children and grandchildren.”
Costa declined to comment on the results.
Morgan, of West Warwick, took 64% of the vote in the Republican primary to defeat Raymond McKay who received about 36%. Morgan has served in the House District 26 seat since 2020 and previously served from 2011 through 2018, the year she lost in the Republican gubernatorial primary.
They were not the results McKay had sought, but he said his political career is far from over – though he did rule out running an independent run in the general election.
“You need financial backing for a race like this,” he said in a phone interview. “Unless I hit the Powerball, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
McKay said he called Morgan to concede, but she didn’t pick up.
“That’s fine, because that’s just the type of candidate she is,” he said.
Morgan did not respond to immediate request for comment.
Whitehouse cast his vote in person at Rogers High School in Newport right after his wife Sandra at 8 a.m., one hour after the polls opened. They were the eighth and ninth voters of the day in the precinct in the city’s southern end where 2,236 voters were eligible to participate in the primary.
“I feel pretty good,” Whitehouse, declining when asked to size up his Democratic primary opponent, Bristol resident Michael J. Costa. “I think I’ll just focus on the next race coming up where we need to elect Kamala Harris and me in November.”
As for the two Republicans who faced off in the primary to determine which one will make the Nov. 5 ballot, Whitehouse said: “Either one of them can explain why Republican ideas like the 2025 plan are good for America.”
Tuesday’s presidential debate may be dominating attention but Whitehouse said he thought Rhode Island voters were still “pretty engaged.”
“There are a lot of local races,” Whitehouse said. “We’ve done a lot of work to let people get out the vote. I was campaigning in Pawtucket yesterday, and people were very aware that today’s the day and planned to get out and vote. We spoke to them, so I think it’ll be an OK turnout.”
Whitehouse was scheduled to fly back to Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning, his staff confirmed. He planned to watch the presidential debate at his home in Newport.
Christopher Shea is a staff writer for the Rhode Island Current.
