In most years, the governor’s State of the State address is only a high-stakes affair for speechwriters and staffers who wish they were characters on “The West Wing.”
But Governor Dan McKee’s big speech tonight is effectively the beginning of his reelection campaign, which means he’ll need to prove that he can course correct on a difficult 2024 and offer a vision that begins to make the case to voters that he should remain in office through 2030.
McKee’s checklist has to include:
⚓ Acknowledging that the Washington Bridge debacle and the cyberattack on RIBridges are not only failures in basic government functions, but are issues he is actively working to fix.
⚓ Finding a way to navigate a sizable – but not catastrophic – projected budget shortfall that has leaders like House Speaker Joe Shekarchi warning that new programs are all but out of the question. McKee has signaled that he’ll propose banning assault-style firearms in his next budget, which wouldn’t cost the state anything and is seen as a winning campaign issue for Democrats.
⚓ Convincing the chattering class that his name will be on the ballot next year, and that he’s not just telling everyone he’s running to avoid lame duck status. All signs point to him running again, but it’s no secret that Shekarchi is keeping an eye on the office, and Helena Foulkes is already running.
One speech isn’t going to change the entire trajectory of Coach McKee’s administration, but if he’s been stuck in a defensive posture for most of the last four years, he can begin to show that he has an offensive game plan, too.
One piece of good news: In a sign that McKee’s luck is turning around, outgoing US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced just this morning that the URI Research Foundation and Polaris MEP will receive $3.9 million for workforce development in the ocean technology sector.
One piece of bad news: Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and his leadership team are now calling on McKee to declare a state of emergency to address homelessness, joining a list of lawmakers, advocates, and his rival Foulkes. McKee maintains a declaration won’t help, but he’d be putting his entire agenda at risk by having a public fight with Ruggerio.Tonight’s speech begins at 7 p.m., and you can stream it here, or on every local TV station.
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, you can sign up here.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.
