Cranston, Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Board of Elections is reminding voters that Tuesday, Oct. 13 is the deadline to request a mail ballot for the upcoming general election. Eligible residents have until 4 p.m. to submit an application, either online or in person at their local board of canvassers office.

Early voting begins the following day, Oct. 14, and continues through Election Day on Nov. 3. Completed mail ballots can be returned via secure drop boxes located in every city and town, or dropped off directly at the Board of Elections office in Cranston.

This year's ballot includes major statewide races such as governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, along with several referendum questions. Congressional and state legislative seats are also being contested, and some cities will hold mayoral elections. Voters can look up a sample ballot to see the specific races in their precinct.

Rhode Island voters went to the polls Wednesday in primaries for governor and other federal, state and local offices. Gov. Dan McKee, who ascended to office in 2021 and won a full term in 2022, faces a tough Democratic challenge from Helena Buonanno Foulkes, a former CVS executive who finished a close second in the 2022 primary. Foulkes has outraised and outspent McKee and has led him in independent polling throughout the year, though many voters remained undecided heading into the vote. A loss would make McKee the first elected Rhode Island governor to lose renomination since 1994.

The race has centered on McKee's handling of the Washington Bridge closure and reconstruction, now delayed until 2028, and a 2024 investigation finding he improperly intervened in a state contract award, though no laws were found broken. McKee has attacked Foulkes over CVS's alleged role in the opioid crisis. In the Republican primary, party-endorsed Aaron Guckian faces Elaine Pelino. Rhode Island hasn't elected a Republican governor in 20 years.

Republican congressional candidate Vic Mellor held a "Rhode Island First" rally in Cranston, Rhode Island, featuring former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as headline speaker. The event at the Park Theatre marked Mellor's second such rally this year, following a March gathering at the Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick that included former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

Mellor has framed the rallies as efforts to "motivate the base," pointing to a large share of Republicans and independents who typically don't vote. As with the March event, protesters gathered outside to criticize Mellor, Giuliani, and the Park Theatre for hosting the rally. Attendees described the gathering as a boost of enthusiasm ahead of Rhode Island's September primary election. The rally underscores the stakes in a competitive GOP primary race and signals continued national Republican interest in the state's congressional contest.