Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2022 (September 13 Democratic primary)

Elections in Rhode Island, 2022

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2026 → ← 2018
Governor of Rhode Island
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
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic 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 Attorney General Secretary of State Treasurer

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.

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." McKee was endorsed by the Rhode Island Democratic Party, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, and the Rhode Island chapter of the National Education Association.

Foulkes held a number of executive positions with CVS Health. 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." Foulkes was endorsed by former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Jorge Elorza, the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island.

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." Gorbea was endorsed by EMILY's List, the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers & Health Professionals, and the Rhode Island SEIU State Council.

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

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 113,598
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

Election information in Rhode Island: Sep. 13, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Aug. 14, 2022
• By mail: Postmarked by Aug. 14, 2022
• Online: Aug. 14, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Aug. 23, 2022
• By mail: Received by Aug. 23, 2022
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Sep. 13, 2022
• By mail: Received by Sep. 13, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Aug. 24, 2022 to Sep. 12, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

Photo ID

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A

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.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Helena Foulkes (D)

So many have suffered so much from COVID, especially our kids. In Rhode Island, only ⅓ of our students are reading at grade level, and it’s even worse for math. If you elect me Governor, I'll make sure every child can access before and after-school, and summer programs to make up for Covid Learning Loss. If our kids aren’t back on track by the end of my term, I won’t seek re-election. Politicians make promises, leaders deliver on them. It's time to get big things done in Rhode Island.

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.

Luis Daniel Muñoz (D)

Healthcare is a human right

Poverty is the manifestation of injustice

Opportunity must be accessible to all

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Helena Foulkes (D)

I feel so strongly about getting our kids back on track from COVID learning loss, that I promise not to run again if test scores aren’t above what they were before COVID.

Luis Daniel Muñoz (D)

Healthcare, Education, Local Economies, Housing (Affordable and Low Income), Criminal Justice Reform. #HumanRights and #Equity.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Luis Daniel Muñoz (D)

Honesty, integrity, humility, responsiveness, empathy, compassion, and a lens of equity.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Luis Daniel Muñoz (D)

To promote a process that is inclusive of the opinions of the communities that the office holder is serving.

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:

• YouTube

Helena Foulkes

August 30, 2022

June 24, 2022

May 16, 2022

View more ads here:

• YouTube

Nellie Gorbea

August 25, 2022

August 16, 2022

June 21, 2022

View more ads here:

• YouTube

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

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering 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.

• Daniel McKee
• Nellie Gorbea

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. 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." 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.

• RealClearPolitics

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.
• 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.

Race ratings: Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2022
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
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
	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

See also: Presidential voting trends in Rhode Island

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.

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

See also: Presidential voting trends in Rhode Island and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Rhode Island, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Rhode Island's 1st	David Cicilline	Democratic	D+12
Rhode Island's 2nd	Open	Democratic	D+4

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Rhode Island
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
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
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
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

See also: List of United States Senators from Rhode Island

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
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
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	52.6%	37.2%
2014	40.7%	36.2%
2010	36.1% (Independent)	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
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
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Daniel McKee
Lieutenant Governor	Sabina Matos
Secretary of State	Nellie Gorbea
Attorney General	Peter Neronha

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
	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
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
	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.

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the Governor of Rhode Island

Footnotes

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