McKee and Foulkes take last jabs in a fiery third and final debate before primary

“I understand this area significantly better than my opponent,” McKee, 75, said of Foulkes. “There’s no way she could even come close.”

Foulkes, 62, returned the serve, calling McKee’s decision to sign the charter school bill, despite his past support for charter schools, a political strategy meant to win the support of teachers’ unions in the election. 

“Oh my goodness,” Foulkes interjected when McKee went on to tout his role in returning public schools in Providence and Central Falls to local control after seven- and 35-year state takeovers, respectively.

Snarky side comments escalated into aggressive confrontations as the Democratic rivals — who first faced off in the 2022 gubernatorial election — returned to familiar talking points on opioids, the Washington Bridge, and government effectiveness.

Conflict peaked during discussion of each candidate’s housing plan. Foulkes has championed a proposal to use a state millionaire’s tax to fund affordable housing development, pledging to build 20,000 units over eight years based on the $1 billion revenue projected. McKee maintains that a combination of state bonds, and incremental policy changes, led by the housing department set up under his administration, is the best way to tackle the crisis of affordability and low inventory.

As they talked over each other about the accuracy of McKee’s numbers, Foulkes said, “Governor, stop.”

The usually mild-mannered McKee bristled, declaring, “I am the governor of the state of Rhode Island and you disrespected me.”

Foulkes smiled, as co-moderator Tim White noted, “we are getting far away from housing.”

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Respect, or lack of, resurfaced during discussion of candidates’ economic plans, a frequent source of disagreement between the two. McKee repeatedly painted Foulkes as an out-of-touch corporate executive whose salary and cost-cutting measures, including laying off 2,000 workers during her two-year stint as CEO of Hudson Bay Company, make her unsympathetic to the plights of working people. Foulkes points to Rhode Island’s poor performance in CNBC business rankings, and stagnant job growth in the last two years as evidence of McKee’s economic failures.

But Foulkes conceded when questioned by debate moderators that she quit her role on the state’s Economic Development Corporation board of directors (the predecessor to what is now Rhode Island Commerce Corp.) under then-Gov. Lincoln Chafee. Foulkes served just over one year on the appointed board before leaving in May 2012, citing frustrations with Chafee over how to handle the fallout from the failed 38 Studios deal.

“I was frustrated,” she said. “I thought the governor was in some ways putting politics ahead of people at that moment so I decided to walk away.”

McKee seized on the moment, quickly expanding his attack beyond Foulkes’ short-lived tenure on the board.

“Your energy plan is going to cost us money, your housing plan is a house of cards, and you keep disparaging the state at every chance you get,” McKee said. “You’re a job killer.”

Foulkes drew the distinction between her criticism of state infrastructure, business climate, and efficiency, and the state itself.

“I am certainly not disparaging the state of Rhode Island, I am disparaging its governor,” she replied.

“I am the state of Rhode Island,” McKee roared back.

Birds of a feather on Flock

Amid major differences, the candidates also found common ground, including on Flock Safety cameras. Earlier Tuesday, Gov. McKee called for a 60-day pause on the installation of new automatic license plate readers by the Rhode Island State Police, urging municipalities to follow suit, as concerns over privacy and misuse ripple throughout the state. Foulkes agreed with the measure, though she questioned the timing: four years after the state began using Flock cameras, but three weeks out from the Sept. 9 primary.

Neither candidate supported a sales tax exemption on data center equipment, a proposal which failed to advance in the General Assembly this year. And both said they would sign a Rhode Island Voting Rights Act, enshrining federal voter access and fairness protections gutted by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in April into state law. The General Assembly held the legislation during the 2026 session, with legislative leaders and Secretary of State Gregg Amore citing technical and legal concerns with the draft bill.

In a nod to the venue, named after Lila and John Sapinsley, White asked each candidate whether they would sign the Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act, a perennial proposal on Smith Hill that would authorize medical aid in dying. Foulkes said she would sign it, while McKee offered a more general pledge to “take a look at it.”

But the governor was more definitive than he was last week on the question of the “revolving door” provision in state ethics law. The rule prohibiting lawmakers from serving in state jobs for at least 12 months after leaving office came into question when former House Speaker Joseph K. Shekarchi applied for the open seat on the state Supreme Court while still in elected office. Shekarchi, who was not McKee’s nominee for the seat, said the revolving door law did not apply because the seat on the bench was a constitutional office. Good government advocates and the Rhode Island Ethics Commission disagreed, with the latter filing an appeal to the state’s highest court after a Superior Court judge sided with Shekarchi. The case remains pending.

Asked by moderators whether he would consider a constitutional amendment that revises state ethics code to clearly include Supreme Court seats in the revolving door provision, McKee replied, “I’m already looking into it. That’s how it has to be corrected, a constitutional amendment.”

Constitutional amendments require approval by both chambers of the General Assembly and voters, or through a constitutional convention. The next such convention could be in 2034.

Foulkes also said she supported an amendment clarifying the ethics rules.

“The spirit of ethics reform 20 years ago was to say no one in office today should be any kind of judge within 12 months of serving,” she said.

A few moments of levity punctuated an otherwise tense event. In discussing state investments in roads and bridges, McKee offered a plug for the newly launched state pothole repair hotline, which launched in April.

Prompted by moderators to share one quality they admire in the other, each candidate noted the other’s commitment to their families.

Early voting begins Thursday. The primary is Wednesday, Sept. 9.

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