Rhode Island election results on Tuesday pointed to Helena Buonanno Foulkes winning the governor’s race, with David Morales also leading the Providence mayoral contest. Voters in Rhode Island were choosing a new governor and a new mayor while most other top offices were expected to remain with incumbents.
Helena Buonanno Foulkes and Dan McKee
Foulkes was expected to defeat Dan McKee, Ken Block and Aaron Guckian after beating McKee in September by 62.5 percent to 37.5 percent in all 39 cities and towns. McKee had been the first incumbent Rhode Island governor to lose a primary in 32 years, and the general election was the final step in that race.
The Republican and independent challengers made the governor’s race the clearest chance for change at the top of state government. Sheldon Whitehouse was not on the ballot this year, so the governor’s race carried more of the statewide turnover question than the federal contests did.
David Morales in Providence
Morales, 28, was the heavy favorite over Dave Talan after toppling Brett Smiley in September’s Democratic primary by 5 percentage points. If he won, he would become the youngest mayor in Providence history.
His campaign had already turned on local issues, including capping rents, supporting Question 7 and not renewing the city’s contract with Flock for automatic license plate reading cameras. That gave Providence voters a city race with a clear policy break from the incumbent line-up that had defined the primary.
Kim Ahern and Jack Reed
Elsewhere on the ballot, Kim Ahern was expected to replace Peter Neronha as Rhode Island attorney general if she defeated Alan Gordon, while James A. Diossa was expected to defeat Micholas Credle for general treasurer. Gregg M. Amore won reelection unopposed as secretary of state.
In the congressional races, Seth Magaziner was anticipated to beat Victor Mellor in the Second Congressional District, Gabe Amo was expected to win the First Congressional District over Kellie Keenan and Pedro DeSouza, and Jack Reed was expected to defeat Raymond T. McKay and Michael Anthony Bahry in the US Senate race. Mellor had described himself as a “proud J6er” and defended his actions at the Trump rally-turned-riot at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The pattern across the ballot was straightforward: Rhode Island was set for leadership change in the governor’s office and Providence City Hall, while the rest of the statewide and congressional picture was expected to stay largely in place. For voters, the counting now determines whether that split result holds across every race on Tuesday night.
