Happy Thursday! I'm Dan McGowan, and you couldn't pay me to read Bill Belichicks book. Follow me on X (Twitter) @DanMcGowan, on Bluesky @danmcgowan, or send tips to
dan.mcgowan@globe.com.
🐎 Derby Day: What would you name a Rhode Island-themed horse if they were to qualify for the Kentucky Derby? Let's have some fun. Send me an email.
Helena Foulkes was the fundraising campaign of the first quarter of 2025, but House Speaker Joe Shekarchi still has more money in his campaign account than Foulkes and every other statewide elected official – combined.
Shekarchi, who barely swats away rumors that he wants to run for governor anymore, is sitting on more than $3.4 million, by far the most of any elected official in the state. Foulkes, who is running for governor next year, brought in more than $610,000 in the first three months of the year, and now has more than $1.5 million in the bank.
Here’s a look at where all of Rhode Island’s top elected officials stand following the first quarter of the year, along with the number of slices of Death by Chocolate cake from Gregg's ($11.03 on DoorDash) they could purchase if they wanted to put their campaign funds to good use.
Governor Dan McKee (D)
Cash on hand: $748,565
Slices of cake that buys: 67,866
For some reason, McKee’s campaign website still lists $1,000 as the top donation when the maximum annual donation has increased to $2,000. Still, he raised $257,000 in the first quarter.
Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos (D)
Cash on hand: $24,718
Slices of cake that buys: 2,241
Matos maintains that she is running for reelection, but she raised just $13,000 in the first quarter.
Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D)
Cash on hand: $109,839
Slices of cake that buys: 9,958
The secretary of state brought in $2,800 during the first three months of the year, but he is unlikely to face a serious challenge when he runs for reelection next year.
Attorney General Peter Neronha (D)
Cash on hand: $122,668
Slices of cake that buys: 11,121
Neronha is term-limited, but he continues to maintain a high profile as he leads the state in multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration and could still run for a different office next year. He raised just $9,600 in the first quarter.
Treasurer James Diossa (D)
Cash on hand: $177,744
Slices of cake that buys: 16,114
Diossa raised nearly $72,000 in the first quarter.
House Speaker Joe Shekarchi (D)
Cash on hand: $3,434,108
Slices of cake that buys: 311,342
The speaker’s campaign fund generated more in bank interest than Matos, Amore, and Neronha raised during the first three months of the year. Keep in mind that he also has $428,000 in his Rhode Island Good Government PAC.
Senate President Val Lawson (D)
Cash on hand: $96,372
Slices of cake that buys: 8,737
The newly elected Senate president is going to see a flood of new donations over the next few months.
House Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski (D)
Cash on hand: $357,773
Slices of cake that buys: 32,436
The favorite to be speaker if Shekarchi runs for governor, Blazejewski brought in $83,000 in the first quarter.
Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone (D)
Cash on hand: $76,762
Slices of cake that buys: 6,959
The new majority leader reports that he raised more than $20,000 in the first quarter in aggregate donations, which means each donation is less than $200. For donations under $200, he isn’t required to disclose the names of contributors.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley (D)
Cash on hand: $850,290
Slices of cake that buys:77,088
Mayor Smiley raised more than $173,000 in the first quarter of the year.
Helena Foulkes (D)
Cash on hand: $1,567,451
Slices of cake that buys: 142,108
Foulkes raised twice as much as Governor McKee in the first three months of the year.
🤔 So you think you're a Rhode Islander...
With Gina Raimondo mulling a run for president, can you name the last two former Rhode Island politicans who have tried to run for president? (You can find the answer below.)
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
⚓ On the latest edition of the Rhode Island Report podcast, Ed Fitzpatrick talks to our colleague Amanda Milkovits about her latest story on a widowed father battling his wife's parents over child visitation rights. Listen here.
⚓ My latest column:Gina Raimondo told David Axelrod she is thinking of running for president in 2028. So I asked Axelrod what he thinks of the idea. Read more.
⚓ New Senate’s Majority Leader Frank A. Ciccone III, on Wednesday said has concerns that the state would lose significant revenue if it the state ends the casinos’ exemption from Rhode Island’s 2005 indoor smoking ban. Read more.
⚓ An expert on body-composition exams and a pediatrician testified Wednesday about the stark differences between accepted standards of testing and what former high school basketball coach Aaron Thomas had performed on athletes over his 25-year career. Read more.
⚓ Staff at Butler Hospital in Providence will strike beginning May 15 as workers attempt to secure a new contract with the psychiatric facility’s owner, Care New England, that addresses increased workplace violence, counteracts staffing shortages, and provides higher pay, their union said. Read more.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓ A Sharon High football player’s catastrophic brain injury put him in a coma for a month — and perhaps could have been prevented. Read more.
⚓ It’s been a common refrain across Cambridge for decades that Harvard — which does not have to pay property tax on its billions of dollars’ worth of institutional buildings in Cambridge and Boston — should have to share more of its vast wealth with its neighbors. But not like this, advocates say. Read more.
⚓ The Patriots earned high marks for their draft haul last weekend, an A from the likes of Pro Football Focus, USA Today, and Yahoo! Sports, and an A-minus from several others. But oh, what could have been. Read more.
⚓ Rhode Map readers, if you want the birthday of a friend or family member to be recognized Friday, send me an email with their first and last name, and their age.
⚓ The Providence City Council meets at 6 p.m. Here's the agenda.
⚓ Governor Dan McKee is holding an 11:30 a.m. press conference in Providence to announce the recipients of low-income housing tax credits.
Former Cranston mayor Steve Laffey sought the 2024 Republican nomination for president, but dropped out in October 2023. Former governor Lincoln Chafee ran for the Democratic nomination in 2016, but dropped out in October 2015.
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST Ed Fitzpatrick talks to our colleague Amanda Milkovits about her latest story on a widowed father battling his wife's parents over child visitation rights. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
Please tell your friends about Rhode Map! They can sign up here. The Globe has other email newsletters on topics ranging from breaking news alerts to sports, politics, business, and entertainment –
check them out.
Boston Globe Media Partners thanks its sponsors for supporting our newsletters. The sponsoring advertiser does not influence or create any editorial content for this newsletter. If you are interested in advertising opportunities, please contact us here.
You are receiving this because you signed up for Rhode Map. Unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter.
