A Democratic governor is facing steep odds in a blue-state primary — but not for the same reasons that have felled other incumbents this year.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee’s sagging popularity has opened him up to a strong primary challenge from former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, who he beat in a multi-candidate 2022 primary. And while multiple other Democrats were ousted this year by far younger and much more progressive challengers, the 75-year-old McKee’s biggest vulnerability comes from Foulkes’ attacks on a more mundane, if visceral issue: the state’s struggling infrastructure.
The McKee administration’s botched oversight of repairs to a major Providence bridge that tens of thousands of drivers use each day has soured voters on his tenure, making him one of the least popular governors in the country. A University of New Hampshire poll released in August found his approval rating at 24 percent among Democrats, and showed Foulkes with a massive lead in the primary over McKee, 56 percent to 18 percent…