Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2022 (September 13 Democratic primary)
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Governor of Rhode Island |
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Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
Election details |
Filing deadline: July 15, 2022 |
Primary: September 13, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Daniel McKee (Democratic) |
How to vote |
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Rhode Island |
Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic |
Ballotpedia analysis |
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022 |
Rhode Island executive elections |
Governor Lieutenant Governor |
Incumbent Dan McKee defeated four other candidates in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island governor on September 13, 2022. McKee, Nellie Gorbea, and Helena Foulkes led in polling and endorsements.[1][2][3][4]
McKee took office in March 2021 after former Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) was appointed U.S. secretary of commerce. McKee had served as lieutenant governor since 2015. McKee said he "delivered one of the best vaccine rollouts in America and provided steady leadership to rebuild Rhode Island’s economy" and was "working to sustain our state’s economic momentum and raise incomes for Rhode Islanders."[5] McKee was endorsed by the Rhode Island Democratic Party, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, and the Rhode Island chapter of the National Education Association.[6][7]
Foulkes held a number of executive positions with CVS Health.[8] Foulkes' campaign website said she had "the business and government experience needed to fix our public schools, make our state more affordable, and strengthen our economy." It continued, "A proud Democrat, Helena is a fierce champion of a woman’s right to choose."[9] Foulkes was endorsed by former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Jorge Elorza, the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island.[10]
Gorbea was elected Rhode Island secretary of state in 2014. Gorbea said she was "running for governor so that every day Rhode Islanders have a chance to thrive. As governor, [she would] raise taxes on big corporations so we can fix this housing crisis, expand pre-K to every child, and reward small businesses that create jobs here."[11][12] Gorbea was endorsed by EMILY's List, the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers & Health Professionals, and the Rhode Island SEIU State Council.[13]
Also running were former Secretary of State Matt Brown, who ran in the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary, and Luis Daniel Muñoz, who ran for governor as an independent in 2018.
Rhode Island had a Democratic governor since 2011.
Helena Foulkes (D) and Luis Daniel Muñoz (D) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.
This page focuses on Rhode Island's Democratic Party gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on Rhode Island's Republican gubernatorial primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2022 (September 13 Republican primary)
- Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2022

Candidates and election results
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Rhode Island
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Daniel McKee | 32.8 | 37,288 |
Helena Foulkes ![]() | 29.9 | 33,931 | ||
Nellie Gorbea | 26.2 | 29,811 | ||
![]() | Matt Brown | 7.9 | 9,021 | |
![]() | Luis Daniel Muñoz ![]() | 3.1 | 3,547 |
Total votes: 113,598 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kalilu Camara (D)
- Seth Magaziner (D)
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Rhode Island
Candidate comparison
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Collapse all
|Helena Foulkes (D)
From the gas pump to the supermarket to your home energy bill, people are getting squeezed. If you elect me Governor, I'll fight for a middle-class tax cut, so working families can keep more of the money they earn. I’ve got a plan to build 20,000 affordable housing units for renters and homeowners in Rhode Island. People work hard to earn their pay and the government should work just as hard to get big things done and make life more affordable for all Rhode Islanders.
Working my way up over 25 years at CVS in Woonsocket taught me a lot. One lesson was our economy is changing so fast, and we need to change with it. As Governor, I’ll make job training available to everyone free of charge, so people can get the skills they need to work in the jobs they want. We’ll ensure workers can get training on the job, not at an unemployment office. We need a governor who understands the new economy, so our kids don't have to leave home to find work.
Poverty is the manifestation of injustice
Opportunity must be accessible to all
Helena Foulkes (D)
Campaign advertisements
This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.
Daniel McKee
August 23, 2022 |
August 9, 2022 |
March 2, 2022 |
View more ads here:
Helena Foulkes
August 30, 2022 |
June 24, 2022 |
May 16, 2022 |
View more ads here:
Nellie Gorbea
August 25, 2022 |
August 16, 2022 |
June 21, 2022 |
View more ads here:
News and conflicts in this primary
This race was featured in The Heart of the Primaries, a newsletter capturing stories related to conflicts within each major party. Click here to read more about conflict in this and other 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primaries. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.
- Heart of the Primaries 2022, Democrats-Issue 38 (September 8, 2022)
- Heart of the Primaries 2022, Democrats-Issue 36 (August 25, 2022)
- Heart of the Primaries 2022, Democrats-Issue 34 (August 11, 2022)
Endorsements
Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Election competitiveness
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[14] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[15] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
The links below show polls for this race aggregated by FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, where available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation.
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[16]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[17][18][19]
Race ratings: Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2022 | |||||||||
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Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
November 8, 2022 | November 1, 2022 | October 25, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | ||||||
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | |||||
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. |
Ballot access requirements
The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Rhode Island in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Rhode Island, click here.
Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022 | ||||||
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State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
Rhode Island | Governor | All candidates | 1,000 | N/A | 7/15/2022 | Source |
State profile
Demographic data for Rhode Island | ||
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Rhode Island | U.S. | |
Total population: | 1,055,607 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 1,034 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 81.1% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 6.5% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 3.2% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 2.8% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 13.6% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 86.2% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 31.9% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $56,852 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 17.3% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Rhode Island. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
Presidential voting pattern
Rhode Island voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Rhode Island, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[20]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Rhode Island had one Boomerang Pivot County, 4.00 percent of all Boomerang Pivot Counties.
More Rhode Island coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Rhode Island
- United States congressional delegations from Rhode Island
- Public policy in Rhode Island
- Endorsers in Rhode Island
- Rhode Island fact checks
- More...
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Presidential elections
Cook PVI by congressional district
Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Rhode Island, 2022 | |||
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District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
Rhode Island's 1st | David Cicilline | ![]() |
D+12 |
Rhode Island's 2nd | Open | ![]() |
D+4 |
2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines
2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Rhode Island[21] | ||||
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District | Joe Biden ![]() |
Donald Trump ![]() | ||
Rhode Island's 1st | 63.8% | 34.7% | ||
Rhode Island's 2nd | 56.1% | 42.4% |
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
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Democratic | |||||||
Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
Republican | |||||||
Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
New Republican | D | D | R |
Following the 2020 presidential election, 84.5% of Rhode Islanders lived in one of the state's four Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 15.5% lived in Kent County, the state's one Battleground Democratic county. Overall, Rhode Island was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Rhode Island following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
Rhode Island county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
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Solid Democratic | 4 | 84.5% | |||||
Battleground Democratic | 1 | 15.5% | |||||
Total voted Democratic | 5 | 100.0% | |||||
Total voted Republican | 0 | 0.0% |
Historical voting trends
Rhode Island presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 21 Democratic wins
- 10 Republican wins
Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
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Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | R | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Statewide elections
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Rhode Island.
U.S. Senate election results in Rhode Island | ||
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Race | Winner | Runner up |
2020 | 66.6%![]() |
33.4%![]() |
2018 | 61.6%![]() |
38.4%![]() |
2014 | 70.6%![]() |
29.3%![]() |
2012 | 64.8%![]() |
35.0%![]() |
2008 | 73.4%![]() |
26.6%![]() |
Average | 66.6 | 33.4 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Rhode Island
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Rhode Island.
Gubernatorial election results in Rhode Island | ||
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Race | Winner | Runner up |
2018 | 52.6%![]() |
37.2%![]() |
2014 | 40.7%![]() |
36.2%![]() |
2010 | 36.1%![]() |
33.6%![]() |
2006 | 51.0%![]() |
49.0%![]() |
2002 | 54.8%![]() |
45.2%![]() |
Average | 47.0 | 40.2 |
State partisanship
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Rhode Island's congressional delegation as of November 2022.
Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Rhode Island, November 2022 | |||
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Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
Democratic | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 2 | 2 | 4 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Rhode Island's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.
State executive officials in Rhode Island, November 2022 | |
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Office | Officeholder |
Governor | ![]() |
Lieutenant Governor | ![]() |
Secretary of State | ![]() |
Attorney General | ![]() |
State legislature
The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Rhode Island State Legislature as of November 2022.
Rhode Island State Senate
Party | As of November 2022 | |
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Democratic Party | 33 | |
Republican Party | 5 | |
Vacancies | 0 | |
Total | 38 |
Rhode Island House of Representatives
Party | As of November 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 65 | |
Republican Party | 10 | |
Independent | 0 | |
Vacancies | 0 | |
Total | 75 |
Trifecta control
As of November 2022, Rhode Island was a Democratic trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.
Rhode Island Party Control: 1992-2022
Thirteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
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Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | I | I | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Demographics
The table below details demographic data in Rhode Island and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.
Demographic Data for Rhode Island | ||
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Rhode Island | United States | |
Population | 1,052,567 | 308,745,538 |
Land area (sq mi) | 1,033 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White | 80.5% | 72.5% |
Black/African American | 6.8% | 12.7% |
Asian | 3.4% | 5.5% |
Native American | 0.5% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Other (single race) | 5.5% | 4.9% |
Multiple | 3.3% | 3.3% |
Hispanic/Latino | 15.4% | 18% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate | 88.8% | 88% |
College graduation rate | 34.2% | 32.1% |
Income | ||
Median household income | $67,167 | $62,843 |
Persons below poverty level | 12.4% | 13.4% |
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
See also
Rhode Island | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ RealClearPolitics, "Rhode Island Governor - Democratic Primary," accessed August 18, 2022
- ↑ Dan McKee's 2022 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed August 18, 2022
- ↑ Nellie Gorbea's 2022 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed August 18, 2022
- ↑ GoLocal Prov, "VIDEO: Foulkes Endorsed by Elorza," July 28, 2022
- ↑ Dan McKee's 2022 campaign website, "About," accessed August 18, 2022
- ↑ Go Local Prov Politics, "RI Political Diary: McKee Lands Two Mega-Endorsements," July 25, 2022
- ↑ WPRI, "McKee wins RI Dem Party endorsement," June 26, 2022
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Helena Foulkes," accessed August 18, 2022
- ↑ Helena Foulkes' 2022 campaign website, "Home," accessed August 18, 2022
- ↑ WJAR, "Foulkes picks up endorsements from Elorza, Kennedy," July 28, 2022
- ↑ YouTube, "Underestimated," June 21, 2022
- ↑ NBC News, "Rhode Island's Nellie Gorbea becomes first Latina in New England to run for governor," May 24, 2021
- ↑ Nellie Gorbea's campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed September 2, 2022
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022
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[[Category: Marquee, completed election, 2022]