Moneyball: Foulkes Laps McKee in Q3 Fundraising - Shekarchi's War Chest Nears $3M
GoLocalProv News Team
Moneyball: Foulkes Laps McKee in Q3 Fundraising - Shekarchi's War Chest Nears $3M
Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate and likely 2026 hopeful Helena Foulkes continued her campaign contribution roll with a haul that eclipsed incumbent Dan McKee by nearly 2 to 1 margin.
Speaker of the House Joseph Shekarchi proceeded to pad his war chest, as speculation mounts that he will run for governor in the 2026 Democratic primary.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn August, GoLocal reported that Shekarchi, the state's arguably most powerful politician, looms large.
McKee's term has been marred by the failure of the Washington Bridge and his continued backing of beleaguered RI Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti.
As GoLocal reported, McKee said this week that Attorney General Peter Neronha's investigation into the ILO contract was politically motivated due to Neronha's expressed support for Foulkes.
Here are the top lines.
Latest Fundraising Numbers
In the third quarter of 2024, McKee raised $141,482 from individuals and $2,750 from PACs for a total of $144,232.
Of note, he received $1,000 from the “LIUNA Education Fund Rhode Island” - the Laborers' International Union of North America.
As GoLocal reported in an investigative series earlier this year, McKee and LIUNA boss Armand Sabitoni "have a special relationship rooted in money, politics, golf, and Peter Alviti."
His ending cash balance for the quarter was $505,031.
Filings show that for the quarter, Foulkes hauled in $411,914 from individuals and PAC contributions; her ending cash balance was $842,341.98. She received $2,000 from Dennis DiPrete and another $1,500 from his wife, Susan. Dennis is the son of former Republican Governor Ed DiPrete. The Dimeo family of the construction company lineage combined for $4,000.
The biggest cash balance still sits with Shekarchi.
As he is running for his General Assembly seat on November 5, candidates have to file "28-days-before, 7-days-before, and 28-days-after" filing deadlines rather than a third-quarter report.
On Tuesday, Shekarchi’s campaign submitted the “7 days before election” report, which shows that between October 8 and October 28 alone, he raised $65,665 from individuals and $7,100 from PACs.
He sits on an ending cash balance of $2,951,606.05. One year ago, his campaign account balance was $2,148,751.19.
Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera, who is also in an election cycle, has similar reporting requirements.
She is widely considered to be running for Lt. Governor in 2026 in the Democratic primary.
In her 28-days before election report, Rivera pulled in $16,675 and spent $24,670 — and sits on a war chest of $72,489.96
Lt. Governor and failed Congressional candidate Sabina Matos, who began the quarter with a cash balance of $4,349, raised just over $13,000 for the quarter.
She spent however just over $14,000, leaving her cash balance at the end of the quarter at $5,124.