Behind in the polls, saddled with the Washington Bridge, McKee looks for an issue he can use
By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current
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| Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current |
The latest jab from the McKee campaign came in the midst of a Monday luncheon fundraiser for Foulkes, hosted by her uncle, former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd.
The private luncheon for Foulkes was held at The University Club on the East Side of Providence, with tickets for attendees ranging from $500 to $2,000 — the maximum annual contribution to political candidates under state law. Dodd was listed on the event flyer as a special guest, alongside dozens of other prominent names in state politics and business circles who are backing Foulkes in the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
A fixture in Democratic politics, Dodd represented his home state of Connecticut for two decades in the U.S. Senate, until 2011, and is the partial namesake of the famous Wall Street reform law, the “Dodd-Frank Act.”
But McKee’s campaign offers a different descriptor of Dodd: “Purdue Pharma ally.”
And the governor’s campaign says Dodd’s involvement in a fundraiser for Foulkes is further proof of her ties to the “very insiders who enabled Purdue’s rise.”
“Helena Foulkes and Chris Dodd both had a choice when it came to Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers — and they both chose profits over saving lives,” Christina Freundlich, McKee’s campaign spokesperson, said in a statement Monday. “This once again speaks to the troubling record of Helena Foulkes and her ties to the elite who defend the system that enabled heinous crimes. We deserve a governor who will stand up to corporate greed, protect lives and put the people of Rhode Island first.”
The opioid epidemic, and Foulkes’ potential involvement as a former CVS executive, was a central topic in the 2022 gubernatorial primary, which featured Foulkes, McKee and three other Democratic candidates. McKee bested Foulkes in the primary by a 3-percentage-point margin.
But in the 2026 rematch, Foulkes appears to hold a slight advantage over McKee among prospective Democratic voters, according to preliminary polls. Foulkes also leads McKee in campaign fundraising as of Oct. 31, the most recent campaign finance reporting deadline.
Jon Romano, a spokesperson for Foulkes’ campaign, pointed to McKee’s unfavorable polling numbers in a response to the criticism over the fundraiser.
“Dan McKee is polling at 11% because he has been a weak, incompetent governor who has no argument for why he deserves an unprecedented third term,” Romano said in an emailed response Monday. “So instead he attacks Helena’s uncle for hosting a fundraising event for her. McKee is once again disparaging CVS, Rhode Island’s largest employer, while deliberately ignoring the truth that under Helena’s leadership, CVS reduced opioid sales by nearly 40% and was a national leader in tackling the opioid epidemic.”
Recent voter surveys also reiterate McKee’s waning popularity and continued public dissatisfaction over his handling of the Washington Bridge project.
Foulkes has made McKee’s perceived missteps over the infrastructure project a key point of her challenge against him.
Yet McKee’s campaign remains stuck on Foulkes’ ties to CVS, fueled by a federal lawsuit unsealed in late 2024 which alleges the pharmacy company worsened the opioid crisis by filling fake prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances. The 97-page complaint never mentioned Foulkes by name. Hours before Foulkes’ 2026 campaign announcement in September, McKee’s campaign released a digital ad on YouTube, with a corresponding website, again centered on the Department of Justice lawsuit and Foulkes’ role in the opioid crisis.
The 97-page federal lawsuit never mentions Foulkes by name.
McKee’s latest attack against Foulkes and Dodd relies primarily on reporting by GoLocalProv, which claims to have been investigating the opioid crisis since 2017. The headlines are damning. A story from Jan. 21, 2025, declares “INVESTIGATION: Foulkes Made Tens of Millions at CVS While She Rode Profits From Opioid Epidemic. However, the public documents cited in the article do not directly link Foulkes to the legal allegations against Purdue Pharma or CVS over the opioid epidemic. Another GoLocal story about Dodd highlights a comment he made in defense of Purdue during a 2002 U.S. Senate hearing.
McKee’s campaign also links to a 2009 New York Times article entitled “Dodd’s Uneasy Dance with Drug Lobbyists,” which scrutinizes his close relationship with pharmaceutical industry groups, including Purdue Pharma. Dodd received hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertisements for his political campaigns during his time in office, alongside attending swanky lobbyist-sponsored fundraising events. But, in the article, his campaign manager and aides said these relationships did not sway Dodd’s position on health care legislation.
Gregory Stevens, who owns a trio of local Italian restaurants, has also filed paperwork to run in the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi is widely speculated as a fourth potential Democratic candidate for governor, although he has not confirmed it. Three Republicans — Aaron Guckian, an aide to former Gov. Don Carcieri; retired comedian Elaine Pelino and local businessman Robert Raimondo — have also entered the 2026 gubernatorial race.
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Rhode Island Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: info@rhodeislandcurrent.com.
