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Governor Dan McKee has two jobs at his State of the State address tonight.

First, he has to lay out his goals and priorities for the next year. Second, he has to make the case to Democratic primary voters that he’s the face that should run the place for the rest of the decade.

He’ll try to accomplish the former by arguing that he’s tackling the uncertainty out of President Trump’s Washington by eliminating the income tax on social security and raising taxes on the state’s wealthiest residents, all while attempting to protect good-paying jobs like the ones created by the Revolution Wind project.

The latter is a more difficult task. McKee is lagging in the polls against a better-funded Democratic primary opponent in former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, who is only beginning to ramp up her campaign. She’s planning a press conference this morning to lay out her plan to reform the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

The bigger picture: Gina Raimondo ran for reelection in 2018 with the mantra of “let’s keep going.” McKee’s message too often comes across as, “I need more time.”

But tonight is an opportunity for the governor to present a more compelling vision for the state. He’ll undoubtedly argue that education results are moving in the right direction, and he’ll need to offer some type of optimism when it comes to the Washington Bridge.

The best part for McKee: the State of the State is largely rebuttal-free. Sure, Republicans will offer a response to McKee’s speech, and Foulkes will undoubtedly weigh in. But this isn’t a debate. It’s more like a free-throw for Coach McKee as he seeks to build a message of momentum rather than preservation.