2026 Rhode Island gubernatorial election

Last updated

2026 Rhode Island gubernatorial election
Flag of Rhode Island.svg
  2022 November 3, 20262030 
 
Party Democratic Republican

Incumbent Governor

Dan McKee
Democratic



The 2026 Rhode Island gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026. It will elect the governor of Rhode Island for a four-year term. Incumbent Democratic Governor Dan McKee, who became governor in 2021 upon the resignation of Gina Raimondo and was then elected to a full term in 2022, is running for re-election to a second full term in office.

Contents

While Rhode Island is a safely blue state, the Democratic primary and potentially the general election are predicted to be competitive due to McKee's low approval ratings and comparatively poor fundraising. [1] [2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Publicly expressed interest

Declined

Endorsements

Dan McKee
Statewide officials

Polling

Hypothetical polling
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [a]
Margin
of error
Helena
Foulkes
Dan
Mckee
Peter
Neronha
Joe
Shekarchi
OtherUndecided
URI/YouGov [10] August 1–18, 2025500 (A)± 6.0%14%19%15%7%4%41%

Republican primary

Candidates

Potential

Declined

Independents

Candidates

Declined

General election

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [15] Solid DSeptember 11, 2025
Inside Elections [16] Solid DAugust 28, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball [17] Likely DSeptember 4, 2025
Race to the WH [18] Likely DSeptember 16, 2025

See also

Notes

  1. Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear

References

  1. Anderson, Patrick. "How Shekarchi's shadow looms large in the 2026 RI governor's race". The Providence Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  2. "Kathy Hochul's Approval Rating Suggests an Uphill Climb to Re-Election". Morning Consult Pro. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Anderson, Patrick (September 9, 2025). "Helena Foulkes launches second bid for governor. What we know". The Providence Journal . Archived from the original on September 10, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  4. Fortier, Marc (March 3, 2025). "RI Gov. Dan McKee announces reelection campaign". NBC10 Boston . Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  5. Howell, John (March 19, 2025). "Neronha challenges Trump on many fronts". Warwick Beacon . [Neronha] answered 'maybe' when asked if he would run for governor in 2026
  6. McGowan, Dan (June 25, 2025). "It's decision time for Speaker Shekarchi in the Rhode Island governor's race". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  7. Nagle, Katie (April 21, 2025). "Here's the RI Business Owner Eyeing a Run for Governor in 2026". GoLocalProv. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Nir, David; Singer, Jeff (January 14, 2025). "Morning Digest, sponsored by 314 Action: Oklahoma Republican who fought state funding for religious school launches bid for governor". The Downballot. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  9. Donnis, Ian (March 7, 2025). "State Sen. Alana DiMario on Trump and what's next in the Rhode Island Senate". The Public's Radio . Retrieved March 7, 2025. I'll break it to you right here. I am not running for governor in 2026. You can take me right off that list.
  10. Gregg, Katherine (September 15, 2025). "McKee leads – just barely – in hypothetical four-way primary race, according to new URI poll". Providence Journal. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  11. Crowley, Leah (July 15, 2025). "Community Focus: RI Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz". WPRI-TV .
  12. Nir, David; Singer, Jeff (July 17, 2025). "Morning Digest: Gavin Newsom wants to fight fire with fire". The Downballot. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  13. Nesi, Ted (July 19, 2025). "Nesi's Notes: July 19". WPRI-TV . Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  14. Donnis, Ian (June 3, 2025). "Six big questions about Rhode Island's 2026 race for governor". The Public's Radio . Retrieved June 5, 2025. Via campaign spokesman Jon Romano, Foulkes is ruling out running as an independent
  15. "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  16. "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections . Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  17. "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  18. "Governor Forecast - 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved June 30, 2025.

Official campaign websites