Familiar arguments over opioids, infrastructure and who cares more about everyday Rhode Islanders dominated the first televised Democratic gubernatorial debate of the 2026 election cycle.
Yet Gov. Dan McKee and his challenger, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, still managed to infuse their usual talking points with fresh insults during the hourlong forum, organized by NBC10 and Coastal ABC and taped at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Wednesday night
“Uninformed and unapologetic,” was how McKee painted his opponent, labeling her characterization of state economic growth under his administration as “nonsense,” and her tenure as former president at CVS pharmacy as “bad leadership.”
Foulkes, in turn, called McKee a “desperate man,” proclaiming his statistics on job creation under his administration a “lie.”
Little has changed in their campaign talking points since they first squared off in 2022 when McKee defeated Foulkes by 3 percentage points in a four-way Democratic primary.
McKee, 75, still positions himself as a salt-of-the-Earth governor, frequently citing his upbringing in the Cumberland clubhouse of the Boys and & Girls Clubs and his six-year record as governor. Foulkes, 62, presents herself as a change to an unsatisfactory status quo, drawing upon her business background to improve the state’s stagnant economy and affordability woes.
What’s different this time: Foulkes leads McKee by 20 percentage points in recent public polls, with four times more campaign cash and the backing of a majority of local Democratic leaders, including in McKee’s hometown of Cumberland — a snub she highlighted in her closing remarks.
“This is a governor who unfortunately has a level of mediocrity and complacency that is hurting the people of Rhode Island,” Foulkes said.
She highlighted repeated criticisms of the governor’s handling of the Washington Bridge demolition and rebuild, calling the project a “poster child” of government inefficiency and cronyism. Foulkes made clear in her campaign launch that she would fire then-Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. immediately. Alviti has since retired.
Foulkes also seized upon CNBC’s 2026 business rankings, where Rhode Island placed 48th out of 50 states in business friendliness, as evidence of McKee’s inability to boost business growth.
McKee dismissed the ranking, noting that Rhode Island fares better in other measures, including livability, education and quality of life, and even business environment according to other organizations’ criteria,
“Rankings are like polls, you pick the ones you like,” he said. “The notion that somehow we’re not in far better shape today than when I took office is just not true.”
Rankings are like polls, you pick the ones you like. The notion that somehow we’re not in far better shape today than when I took office is just not true.
– Gov Dan McKee
Throughout the debate, no matter the question posed by moderator Gene Valicenti, McKee returned focus to Foulkes’ record at CVS. The top state employer faces multiple lawsuits, including a Department of Justice investigation unsealed in late 2024, for perpetuating the opioid crisis by filling fake prescriptions. Foulkes headed the company’s retail pharmacy arm from 2014 to 2018 — within the timespan of the federal lawsuit — but is not named specifically in any court documents.
“It’s not about the company, it’s about the company my opponent keeps,” McKee said multiple times throughout the debate.
Echoing an unanswered request for an apology in the Republican gubernatorial debate three hours earlier, McKee asked Foulkes if she would apologize to the families who have lost loved ones in the opioid epidemic, which he blamed on her “bad leadership.”
“You’re going to talk about bad leadership, you are the epitome of bad leadership,” Foulkes said, turning the critique back on McKee for denouncing one of the state’s largest employers.
While Foulkes has not been directly linked to the investigations against CVS, her own campaign’s defense about her work combating the opioid crisis also relies on inflated numbers or does not directly involve her, a Rhode Island Current investigation found.
You’re going to talk about bad leadership, you are the epitome of bad leadership.
– Helena Buonanno Foulkes
The pair shared emphasis on affordability concerns, including on housing and energy costs. But where McKee touted his administration’s housing plan, including creation of the first-ever housing department and cabinet-level housing secretary, Foulkes suggested the state’s strategy was not generating the return on investment needed.
On energy, McKee reupped his fiscal 2027 budget proposal, which did not survive legislative cuts, to save ratepayers $1 billion over the next five years by weakening state renewable and energy efficiency programs that hike bill charges.
Foulkes said choosing between climate and cost was a “false choice,” and accused McKee of not pushing back hard enough against the state’s utility supplier, Rhode Island Energy.
On truck tolls, McKee remained committed to the plan underway to reactivate the gantries from former Gov. Gina Raimondo’s Rhode Works program, while Foulkes answered “no” on restarting the truck toll program until she could determine a way to exempt Rhode Island companies from paying the fee.
“She’s been running for the office for six years and she still doesn’t know what she should be doing on truck tolls,” McKee jumped in, setting off one of several periods in which the candidates talked over each other as Valicenti tried to reign them in.
The pair will meet again on Tuesday night, Aug. 18, for their third and final debate before the primary, in an event at Rhode Island College hosted by WPRI-TV 12. The first debate, hosted on WPRO radio on Monday, Aug. 3, was marked by similar acrimony.
Early voting begins Aug. 20 ahead of the Sept. 9 primary.
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