Helena Foulkes launched her 2026 campaign for Rhode Island governor on Tuesday, taking aim at incumbent Democratic Governor Dan McKee while also signaling that she is ready to square off with House Speaker Joe Shekarchi if he chooses to enter the race.

It’s no surprise that Foulkes is running again after a narrow primary loss to McKee in 2022 – she has already raised more than $2.3 million for the race – but she made plenty of news about how she would govern during an interview with Ed Fitzpatrick and me after the announcement. 

Here’s a quick overview of some of the headlines.

Fire DOT Director Peter Alviti
Foulkes said she would change leadership at the Department of Transportation, which has been under fire for its handling of the Washington Bridge closure in 2023. While the state is suing 13 vendors for allegedly failing to identify and fix issues with the bridge, she pointed out that no one in the department has been disciplined or lost their job. 

Fire Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green
Foulkes is pushing to return local control to both the Providence and Central Falls school districts, but she also confirmed that she plans to get rid of Commissioner Infante-Green. That would require buying out Infante-Green’s contract, which doesn’t expire until April 28, 2028.

Support an inspector general
Polling shows the public widely supports the idea of creating an inspector general’s office in Rhode Island, but House and Senate leaders have repeatedly poured cold water on the proposal. Foulkes’ support for an inspector general will also force Shekarchi to better explain why he opposes the idea if he enters the governor’s race.

Tax the wealthy
Foulkes didn’t put forward a concrete plan for raising revenues for the state, but she said she is open to raising taxes on the wealthiest Rhode Islanders – especially with federal cuts to Medicaid on the horizon. “With the pressure that’s going to come from the Trump administration, it may just be that we have to tax the wealthiest in our state more,” she said. “That should definitely be on the table. But I’d be looking at everything because even that alone won’t do it.”

Fund RIPTA
Foulkes has been a frequent presence at the public hearings on potential cuts to bus services at the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, and she said there is no reason the state shouldn’t be able to find an extra $10 million to fund the agency. The RIPTA board recently approved reducing services across much of its bus system, while stopping short of eliminating routes and cutting jobs for bus drivers.