The Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee voted at its monthly meeting to support Helena Foulkes over incumbent Gov. Dan McKee in the 2026 Democratic primary for governor, the committee announced.
Chairman Juan Carlos Payero said in a statement that committee members spoke at length about “persistent East Bay frustration” with McKee’s handling of the Washington Bridge and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. Foulkes addressed the committee directly and answered questions on those and other issues, Payero said. He noted that it is unusual for a Democratic town committee to decline to support a sitting Democratic governor.
The committee voted to support incumbents in the federal delegation: U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo. For statewide offices, it voted to support incumbents Secretary of State Gregg Amore and General Treasurer James Diossa.
For the General Assembly, the committee voted to support its local delegation: state Sen. Linda Ujifusa and state Reps. Terri Cortvriend, Michelle McGaw and Susan Donovan.
The committee took no motion of support in the contested races for lieutenant governor or attorney general. Votes on Town Council and School Committee endorsements will take place later this month, according to the committee.
“Our Portsmouth Democratic committee, like the Party itself, is a big tent with many perspectives, and members spoke for multiple candidates,” Payero said. “We are fortunate, as Democrats, to have so many strong candidates on the ballot, and we look forward to working with whoever wins the primary to help share their message with Portsmouth voters.”
The committee noted that its votes are distinct from the formal endorsements issued at the state Democratic convention. At the convention, Democratic candidates for general office and the federal delegation receive the party’s official designation, which appears next to a candidate’s name on the primary ballot. Town committees instruct their chairs on how to vote at the convention; in Portsmouth’s case, that vote is cast by Payero.
The Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee meets monthly and is the local organizing body for the Democratic Party in Portsmouth.
