Helena Foulkes leads Gov. Dan McKee 48% to 28% in the Democratic primary for governor, according to a survey released Monday by the Pell Center at Salve Regina University.
Twenty-two percent of Democratic primary voters remain undecided — enough to swing the race either way. Foulkes drew her strongest support among voters under 50 (58%), college-educated voters (54%), and voters in the Bristol/Newport region (58%).
The survey has a direct local angle in the lieutenant governor’s race, where former Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong sits at 16%, two points behind incumbent Sabina Matos at 18%. Forty-eight percent of likely voters said they were unsure.
In the Republican primary for governor, Elaine Pelino leads Aaron Guckian 37% to 17%, with 44% undecided.
Sen. Jack Reed holds a commanding lead in the Democratic Senate primary at 61%, ahead of Connor Burbridge at 12% and Luis Daniel Muñoz at 4%.
Down-ballot races remain unsettled. In the Democratic race for attorney general, 46% of likely voters are undecided, though Kim Ahern leads the field at 23%. Among Republicans in the Second Congressional District, Stephen Skoly leads Victor Mellor 29% to 22%, with 48% undecided.
The survey was directed by Pell Center Associate Director and Fellow Katie Sonder and fielded by Embold Research from Aug. 3 to 11. It polled 857 likely 2026 primary voters with a margin of error of 3.6%. It is the sixth installment of the center’s Voices of Value project, which examines political polarization, media consumption and support for political figures.
