Cape Cod

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee lost Wednesday's Democratic gubernatorial primary to former CVS and Hudson's Bay Company executive Helena Foulkes, who won decisively 62.4% to 37.6%, four years after narrowly beating her in a multi-candidate race. McKee, governor since 2021, had faced sustained criticism over his handling of the Washington Bridge closure, a critical Interstate 195 span shut down in 2023 over safety concerns whose replacement has run behind schedule; McKee said construction would finish by 2028, but Foulkes called the project "a poster child for mismanagement." Foulkes has focused her campaign on affordability, pledging to build 20,000 new homes, enact a tenant's bill of rights, and push for a gubernatorial line-item veto. McKee had attacked her record on opioids during her 25-year CVS career, but Foulkes maintained opioid dispersal fell 40% under her leadership. Foulkes is heavily favored in November's general election in the deeply blue state.

McKee is the first elected governor to lose a primary since Hawaii's Neil Abercrombie in 2014, and the first sitting governor overall not renominated since Kansas's Jeff Colyer in 2018. On the Republican side, party-backed Aaron Guckian held a narrow lead over Elaine Pelino, a Trump-aligned former actress, in a race too close to call. Sen. Jack Reed easily won his Democratic primary and will face Republican Raymond McKay in November.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee faces a primary rematch against Helena Foulkes, a former CVS Health executive, in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary. Foulkes has outraised McKee and outspent him on advertising, and polling suggests a competitive race four years after McKee narrowly won their first matchup. A loss would make McKee the first sitting Rhode Island governor to lose a primary in more than three decades.

The campaign has been shadowed by the prolonged, over-budget repair of Providence's Washington Bridge, a major artery connecting Rhode Island to Massachusetts and Cape Cod, which McKee partially closed in 2023 and has pledged to finish by 2028. Foulkes has used the bridge saga to question his leadership, while McKee has attacked her CVS tenure, linking her to the opioid crisis, a charge she disputes. Because Rhode Island leans heavily Democratic, the primary winner is considered the strong favorite in the general election.

Massachusetts voters headed to the polls Tuesday in a primary highlighted by a competitive Democratic Senate contest between incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, 80, and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, 47. The race reverses a familiar dynamic in this year's Democratic primaries, with progressives Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backing the incumbent over the more moderate challenger. Markey held a large fundraising advantage and led recent polls by double digits; Moulton, a Marine veteran and 2020 presidential candidate, drew support from The Boston Globe's editorial board, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, and VoteVets. Moulton has also faced scrutiny over past comments on transgender athletes, which he has since apologized for. The primary winner will face Republican John Deaton in November.

Similar generational clashes played out down-ballot: progressive attorney Patrick Roath, who has spent more than $1 million on his campaign, challenged longtime Rep. Stephen Lynch in the 8th District, while a crowded six-way Democratic field, including Dan Koh and Tram Nguyen, competed to succeed Moulton in the 6th District. Other notable races include a Republican gubernatorial primary between Mike Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve, and contested district attorney races in Norfolk and Suffolk counties. Given the state's heavy Democratic lean, primary winners are strongly favored in November, with results shaping the competitive landscape ahead of the 2026 midterms.