The partial closure of the Washington Bridge and the need to rebuild it may be causing headaches for commuters and nearby businesses, but the fiasco has become a growing source of misery for Gov. Daniel J. McKee's administration as it looks ahead to a potential reelection campaign in 2026, according to political observers.
The latest evidence of that is the recent poll by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center that indicates that only 29% of 598 registered Rhode Island voters surveyed between July 11 and 15 approved of the job the governor is doing.
Two-thirds said the state was headed in the wrong direction.
The UNH Survey Center highlighted the closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge since December as one crucial factor contributing to the decline of McKee's job approval, which peaked at nearly 60% in June 2021.
Indeed, another poll conducted between April and May by the COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States found that 37% approved of McKee’s performance. While a slight increase over the 30% approval rating he received between Dec. 21 and Jan. 24, his numbers have failed to break 40% in close to a year. A June poll by the Pell Center at Salve Regina University logged a 36% approval rating.
Of those Rhode Islanders who have used the Washington Bridge – which carries traffic on Interstate 195 between Providence and East Providence – or detours since the bridge was closed, a majority said the closure typically adds between 15 and 44 minutes to their trip.
Wendy Schiller, professor of political science at Brown University, said poll respondents are clearly venting their frustrations. Even a majority in McKee's own party have soured somewhat on the administration, with 42% of registered Democrats surveyed giving him a good job approval rating.
“I think voters are putting the blame squarely on McKee," she said. "[The closure first happened] in December, and it is now almost August and we are still no closer to knowing why the condition of the bridge went unaddressed and why no one in [R.I. Department of Transportation] has been held accountable. The state cannot even get a contractor to bid on the project because they have threatened to investigate or sue firms that work with them.”
McKee’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Overall, the highest percentage of disapproval (73%) came from Bristol and Newport counties, areas in the East Bay where many commuters use the Washington Bridge to enter Providence.
Vanessa Ellerman, president of the Middletown Democratic Town Committee, which endorsed candidate Helena B. Foulkes in the 2022 gubernatorial primary, said while crises facing current administrations often stem from mistakes by their predecessors, voters will judge performance on how they are remedied.
"I don’t have a big problem with the governor,” she said. “I didn’t support him [in 2022]. I’m just glad we have a Democrat in there.”
Ellerman said the dip in McKee’s approval rating in the East Bay has more to do with the region’s “individualistic spirit.”
According to the R.I. Secretary of State’s database, 48% of Middletown’s voters are unaffiliated and 37% are registered Democrats.
“We have a lot of independents here,” she said. “So we don’t have as much influence on or are as swayed by statewide [loyalties] as maybe a city like Providence."
While the next gubernatorial election is more than two years away, observers say McKee needs to start turning around the poll numbers soon if he runs for a second full term. Foulkes, who narrowly lost to McKee in the 2022 primary, already appears to be ramping up for another campaign in 2026.
Schiller suggested that McKee might have to do some administrative house cleaning and the bridge should be well on the way to being replaced to bounce back in the eyes of the voters.
“He may still have time to recover, but at a minimum, it would take a leadership change at DOT to indicate that McKee is doing something at all,” she said. “And he would have to fix the bridge to give him even a chance at reelection.”
