Five weeks after Gov. Dan McKee signed into law a controversial bill temporarily banning new charter schools — departing from his own past support for charter schools — the payoff has come through for his reelection campaign.
The Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (RIFTHP) endorsed McKee in an announcement Friday. The backing of the 12,000-member teachers union marks a significant gain for McKee’s reelection campaign after the state party and the Rhode Island AFL-CIO declined to endorse a gubernatorial candidate, a move seen as a snub to a sitting governor.
McKee trailed challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes by double digits in the most recent public polling in May, and was outfundraised by Foulkes by a more than 2-to-1 margin as of March 31. Second-quarter campaign finance reports must be submitted to the state elections board by Friday night…