Gov. Dan McKee endorsed Helena Foulkes and the rest of the Democratic ticket Thursday night, a day after Foulkes defeated him in the Democratic primary for governor.
“That is why I am endorsing the full Democratic ticket: Helena Foulkes for Governor, Sabina Matos for Lieutenant Governor, Kim Ahern for Attorney General, James Diossa for General Treasurer, and Gregg Amore for Secretary of State,” McKee said in a statement. “I am asking every Rhode Islander who supported our campaign to unite behind this team and support them all this November.”
The statement thanked volunteers, people he has worked with over the years and his family, and closed on a valedictory note.
“Thank you, Rhode Island, for the opportunity to serve as your Governor,” McKee said. “My family and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
McKee’s loss made him the first sitting governor in any state to lose a party primary since 2018, and the first Rhode Island governor beaten in a primary since Bruce Sundlun lost to Myrth York in 1994. His administration’s handling of the Washington Bridge closure dominated the race.
He had already conceded Wednesday night, promising to work with Foulkes on a smooth transition. “This is something that I think is difficult to deal with, but we just got to hold our heads high,” he said then.
The endorsement is a sharp break from 2022, when McKee narrowly beat Foulkes in a crowded primary and, during his victory speech, waved off a phone call from her campaign with instructions to hang up.
Newport County voters backed other candidates in two of the races McKee endorsed. Khamsyvoravong carried Newport by a wide margin but lost the lieutenant governor primary to Matos, and Newport backed Keith Hoffmann in the attorney general race that Ahern won.
McKee has been governor since March 2021.
