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Campaign 2026 is already in full swing in Rhode Island with candidates for several statewide offices aggressively raising money ahead of next year’s election.
You already know most of the big names, but there are several lower-profile candidates who have started the process to run for office next year.
As we do every quarter, here’s a look at how much each candidate has in their campaign account, and the number of “Death by Chocolate” cake slices they could buy from Gregg’s ($11.99 on DoorDash) if they wanted to put their money to better use.
🍰 Governors’s race
Dan McKee (D)
Cash on hand: $1,019,993
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 85,070
McKee’s campaign maintains its fund-raising is ahead of the 2022 pace, but he still trails far behind his potential Democratic primary opponents. His campaign has paid former chief of staff Tony Silva $235,000 since the beginning of 2023.
Helena Foulkes (D)
Cash on hand: $2,449,186
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 204,269
Foulkes had a busy summer, narrowly outraising Shekarchi and McKee combined between July 1 and Sept. 30. She also spent $50,000 on a poll.
Joe Shekarchi (D)
Cash on hand: $4,138,855
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 345,192
The House speaker isn’t likely to make a decision on running for governor until the first quarter of 2026, but he has enough money to do whatever he wants. He also has $420,000 in the Rhode Island Good Government PAC that he controls.
🍰 Lieutenant Governor’s race
Sabina Matos (D)
Cash on hand: $45,191
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 3,769
The incumbent LG showed signs of life in the third quarter of the year, raising nearly $50,000.
Cindy Coyne (D)
Cash on hand: $69,457
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 5,792
The former state senator was the first to announce she would challenge Matos in a primary. She loaned herself $15,000 during the third quarter.
Xay Khamsyvoravong (D)
Cash on hand: $118,161
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 9,854
The Newport councilman is increasingly likely to run for LG next year, although he isn’t expected to officially make a decision until early 2026. He hauled in more than $100,000 between July and September.
Sue Anderbois (D)
Cash on hand: $24,868
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 2,074
The Providence councilwoman is also leaning toward entering this race next year.
🍰 Attorney General’s race
Keith Hoffmann (D)
Cash on hand: $205,680
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 17,154
Hoffman is off to an impressive start, raising all that money in a six-week period.
Jason Knight (D)
Cash on hand: $94,786
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 7,905
The veteran state representative entered the race in October, so it will be interesting to watch his fund-raising numbers for the rest of the year.
Kim Ahern (D)
Ahern opened her campaign account on Oct. 22, so she isn’t required to file her first report until Feb. 2, 2026.
Joe Solomon Jr. (D)
Cash on hand: $251,816
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 21,002
The state representative from Warwick is kicking the tires on a run for AG, but hasn’t officially entered the race.
🍰 Providence Mayor’s race
Mayor Brett Smiley (D)
Cash on hand: $1,080,088
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 90,082
It’s always difficult to defeat an incumbent, especially one with 10 times as much money as his opponent.
David Morales (D)
Cash on hand: $96,975
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 8,088
The progressive state representative knows he’s an underdog against Smiley, but he raised $58,000 in the month since launching his campaign.
🍰 Other statewides
Attorney General Peter Neronha (D)
Cash on hand: $114,607
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 9,558
Neronha is term-limited, so he isn’t running for reelection and has said he won’t run for governor.
Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D)
Cash on hand: $139,192
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 11,609
Amore is likely to walk to reelection next year, and will remain on everyone’s radar as a potential gubernatorial candidate down the line.
Treasurer James Diossa (D)
Cash on hand: $247,167
Slices of Death by Chocolate that buys: 20,614
Diossa is also a heavy favorite to win reelection next year.
🤔 So you think you're a Rhode Islander...
Catcher Will Smith hit the go-ahead homerun to help the Dodgers win the World Series on Saturday night. In 2014, what did he help the Newport Gulls do?
(Answer at the bottom.)
Do you have the perfect question for Rhode Map readers? Don't forget to send the answer, too. Shoot me an email today.
The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of US District Court in Rhode Island ordered the government to tap into contingency funds to continue providing benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. But uncertainties remain. Read more.
⚓ In response to a request for clarity, McConnell is also spelling out where the Trump administration can find funds to continue food stamp payments and ordering that payments be made within days. Read more.
⚓ A Rhode Island parent who has sparked battles over "gender ideology" and “critical race theory” in local schools has now taken aim at Barrington, requesting more than 45,000 public records to determine whether a high school social studies teacher who criticized Charlie Kirk has been teaching “radical politics.” Read more.
⚓ Rhode Island will feel significant impacts from President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Act,” which “severely threatens” Medicaid coverage for more than 30,000 residents and cuts food assistance benefits for at least 2,300 households, according to new reports released by Governor Dan McKee’s administration. Read more.
⚓ This week's Ocean State Innovators Q&A is with Dr. Paul Liu, executive chairman of Pax Therapeutics, a company trying to heal tendon and ligament injuries faster. Email us with suggestions for this weekly interview. Read more.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓ Missing benefit payments, travel upheavals, health care concerns, and other uncertainties are gripping Massachusetts families as the government shutdown nears a historic record with no end in sight. Read more.
⚓ Setti Warren, the former mayor of Newton and first Black man elected to lead a city in Massachusetts, has died. Read more.
⚓ The Patriots got a little lucky on Sunday, but they're now 7-2. Read more.
Will Smith batted .429 in the playoffs to help the Newport Gulls capture the Fay Vincent Cup in 2014.
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST Ed Fitzpatrick talks to our colleague Amanda Milkovits about the night she spent at “The Conjuring" house. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
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