Foulkes and Shekarchi lead the pack in summer campaign fundraising
Governor Dan McKee (D)
Cash on hand: $879,207
Slices of cake that buys: 79,710
The governor brought in $206,000 during the second quarter, but spent $75,000 as he began to staff up for his reelection campaign. His team knows it will need to ramp up fundraising for the rest of the year.
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Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos (D)
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Cash on hand: $14,611
Slices of cake that buys: 1,324
Matos had a quiet second quarter as Democratic primary opponents began to line up against her. She also repaid herself $5,000 from previous campaign loans.
Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D)
Cash on hand: $142,496
Slices of cake that buys: 12,919
The secretary of state raised about $42,000 in the second quarter of the year, and he doesn't appear likely to have a serious opponent next year.
Attorney General Peter Neronha (D)
Cash on hand: $119,203
Slices of cake that buys: 10,807
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The attorney general still isn't ruling out a run for governor, but he has not been actively raising money in 2025.
Treasurer James Diossa (D)
Cash on hand: $215,377
Slices of cake that buys: 19,526
It's unlikely that Diossa will have a Democratic primary challenger next year, so he and Secretary of State Amore are already basically raising money for whatever they want to do in 2030.
House Speaker Joe Shekarchi (D)
Cash on hand: $3,858,818
Slices of cake that buys: 349,847
The speaker's campaign fund is so large that he generates more bank interest than Lieutenant Governor Matos has in her entire account.
Senate President Val Lawson (D)
Cash on hand: $205,439
Slices of cake that buys: 18,625
It pays to be No. 1. The new Senate president nearly raised as much in one quarter as she raised for all of 2022, 2023, and 2024 combined.
House Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski (D)
Cash on hand: $360,445
Slices of cake that buys: 32,678
The speaker-in-waiting is in a holding pattern while Shekarchi considers a run for governor. He didn't have much activity in the second quarter, although he did pay himself back for a $4,800 loan he made to his campaign back in 2010.
Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone (D)
Cash on hand: $115,286
Slices of cake that buys: 10,452
Ciccone may have avoided a Democratic primary next year by allowing some version of an assault weapons ban to move forward, and he should see his campaign fund swell in the coming months.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley (D)
Cash on hand: $1,003,616
Slices of cake that buys: 90,989
The mayor doesn't yet have an opponent in next year's Democratic primary, but he's going to have a massive financial advantage in the race. State Representative David Morales is considering challenging him from the left.
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Helena Foulkes (D)
Cash on hand: $2,105,532
Slices of cake that buys: 190,891
Foulkes hasn't formally announced her campaign for governor, but she has hired the firm run by Eric Hyers as a consultant in the race. Hyers ran David Cicilline's first two campaigns for Congress, and Gina Raimondo's 2014 race for governor. He also ran Andy Beshear's campaign for governor in Kentucky, and Steve Bullock's
reelection campaign for Montana governor.
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via email Monday through Friday,
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American Press
7 minutes ago
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Newsweek
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump weighed in on the Georgia gubernatorial race this week, endorsing Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones over Attorney General Chris Carr in the Republican primary. A political science professor weighed in on the chances of the Democrats beating Jones. Newsweek reached out to the Jones and Carr campaigns for comment via email. Why It Matters Georgia has emerged as a new swing state in recent years, and Democrats are hoping to have their first gubernatorial victory in the state since 1999 in next year's midterms. Typically, the party in the White House loses seats in the midterms, but gubernatorial elections tend to be a bit less partisan than federal races. 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Georgia's James Magazine reported that Jones had a "massive early lead" in the poll, but specific numbers were not reported. Jones, who had a business career before entering politics, may be able to carve out a financial advantage over both Democratic and Republican candidates, Bullock said. However, he is currently facing a lawsuit from Carr over a $10 million campaign loan. Democrats do "have a shot" at winning the election next November, Bullock said. The primary going to a runoff—which would happen if no candidate clears 50 percent—could benefit Democrats. That would "slow down" Republican efforts to unite after the primary, he said. There would be a greater risk of this if Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger joins the race. "Runoffs get nasty," he said. "Attack ads become more numerous and more personal. So if indeed there were a bitter runoff between Jones and Carr, Jones and Raffensperger—whoever—that might make it very difficult if Jones were the ultimate winner in the runoff to reunite the party." Jones is more MAGA-aligned, Bullock said, noting that Carr is a more traditional conservative and tied to Governor Brian Kemp, who has not made a formal endorsement. "A Jones nomination would have to overcome that division, and if it were reinforced by a bitter runoff, that would make it much harder for him," he said. Jeffrey Lewis Lazarus, professor of political science at Georgia State University, told Newsweek that Georgia is still a tough state for Democrats, despite recent victories. "Most Democratic victories here have occurred against extraordinarily flawed (Trump, Herschel Walker) or inexperienced (Kelly Loeffler) candidates," he said. "A seasoned and relatively scandal-free GOP nominee should be the favorite to win." Still, it is a "closely divided state," so nothing is guaranteed, he said. On the other hand, this is a closely divided state, and nothing is guaranteed. But the Republican nominee, whoever it is, probably has the inside track. What People Are Saying Charlie Bailey, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, wrote in a statement: "Jones and Chris Carr have spent this entire primary trying to out-MAGA each other, and that won't change with Trump's endorsement. This GOP primary will continue to be a race to the right – and to the bottom – as Jones and Carr fight to prove who can be more in line with Trump's toxic agenda of Medicaid and Medicare cuts, sky-high costs, and billionaire tax handouts at the expense of hardworking Georgians." Jeffrey Lewis Lazarus told Newsweek: "I haven't seen any polling so this is educated guesswork, but in my opinion Jones is probably the favorite. The GOP is more or less Trump's party at this point - he still has 90% approval among self-identified Republicans - and whoever is seen as being in his camp can make a strong claim to being a 'true conservative' or 'real Republican.'" Burt Jones wrote in a post to X: "With President Trump's endorsement, we have the opportunity to take this campaign to the next level. Let's show America what real Georgia grit looks like." Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donahue wrote in a statement: "For Burt Jones, fealty to extreme, partisan politics has always trumped doing what's right for Georgia — and that's why this endorsement shouldn't surprise anyone. Trump's support only further confirms what we already knew: Jones and the entire GOP field are running to bring DC Republicans' agenda of gutting health care and raising costs to Georgia." What Happens Next Georgia's primary is set for May 19, 2026. The Cook Political Report considers the race as a pure toss-up. However, Sabato's Crystal Ball classifies the race as Leans Republican.
