Just 264 votes separated moderate Aaron Guckian from MAGA candidate Elaine Pelino in the GOP gubernatorial primary as of 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, one of few races still too close to call.
Guckian led Pelino by 1.1 percentage points according to preliminary and unofficial results from the Rhode Island Board of Elections. Results from ballots cast on Wednesday in Little Compton, Portsmouth, Providence, and Warwick were still incomplete, along with some mail ballots.
A self-described “compassionate conservative,” Guckian, 50, offered a more tempered version of Republican ideology compared to Pelino’s outspoken Trumpian views. Guckian also has modest name recognition in Rhode Island, having worked as an aide for former Gov. Don Carcieri and ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2022…