UNH Poll: Foulkes Leads McKee, Few Want Raimondo to Run Again

UNH Poll: Foulkes Leads McKee, Few Want Raimondo to Run Again

A poll released by the University of New Hampshire on Tuesday explores a number of political questions in Rhode Island and finds that in the September Democratic primary, CVS executive Helena Foulkes leads Dan McKee 35% to 19%, with a majority of likely Democratic primary voters — 40% — undecided.

 

Restaurant owner Greg Stevens has 3%.

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The findings are consistent with UNH’s two previous polls released in September and November of 2025, respectively.

 

 

Bizzaro Question - Few Want Raimondo to Run Again

The UNH poll asked a strange question. The poll asked if voters wanted Gina Raimondo, the former Governor and Secretary of Commerce under President Joe Biden, to run for governor again.

Raimondo has voiced that she is considering a run for the Democratic nomination for President in 2028. She recently was in Munich with a group of would-be candidates, presenting her experience to a global audience.

 

 

 

Return of Kalus

 

The poll also explored the potential of 2022 GOP candidate Ashley Kalus running again in 2026.

 

 

McKee Criticizes the Poll

A press release from the McKee campaign criticized the UNH poll's methodology:

The Poll "includes major methodological flaws that seriously undermine its accuracy and credibility. The poll’s age breakdown suggests a model totally unreflective of typical Rhode Island statewide primary demographics.

 

Where Rhode Island primaries typically see almost half of the electorate consisting of seniors, and just over 10 percent from those under 35, the UNH poll reported 29 percent of respondents as under 35 and only 25 percent as over 65.