By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Wednesday morning!
Shoutout to all the municipal canvassing boards who will be up and out before the sun rises today to conduct the Rhode Island Statewide Primary Election.
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High tide in Warwick is at 7:05 a.m. and 7:32 p.m. Low tide is at 12:22 p.m. Sunrise is at 6:19 a.m. Sunset is at 7:05 p.m.
Gov. Dan McKee, left, faces the same Democratic challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes he beat four years ago in a rematch in Rhode Island’s Democratic primary Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. But polling suggests he faces a tougher battle. (Photos by Michael Salerno, left, and Nolan Page, right/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin and Christopher Shea
If polls, campaign cash and endorsements piling up behind Helena Buonanno Foulkes prove an accurate predictor, Democratic Gov. Dan McKee could be the first incumbent to lose his primary reelection bid in Rhode Island in more than 30 years. Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. — except in New Shoreham, where polls open at 9 a.m.
More than 32,000 Rhode Island voters cast ballots early at designated in-person polling places, including East Providence City Hall, pictured, as of noon on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
More Rhode Islanders than ever before are casting ballots early at designated in-person polling sites open before the Sept. 9 primary, according to the Rhode Island Department of State’s online turnout tracker. The 37,444 early, in-person ballots cast as of 4 p.m. Tuesday — the end of early voting — is more than double the 16,900 early, in-person ballots cast in 2022, and three times as much as the 12,100 early ballots cast ahead of the 2024 primary.
Chris Pappas, left, and John Sununu, right, will face off in what promises to be a very expensive U.S. Senate race. (Left: Photo by Will Steinfeld/New Hampshire Bulletin; Right: Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin)
By Ethan DeWitt | New Hampshire Bulletin
New Hampshire Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas will face off in November against Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu to be U.S. senator, after the two candidates prevailed in their respective primaries Tuesday. The results, projected by the Associated Press shortly after 8 p.m., solidified what will likely be a bare-knuckled, expensive general election fight for the Senate seat, which is open after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced her retirement.
By Rhode Island Current staff
For voters who need a refresher on the big statewide races before heading to the polls, here’s your chance to take one last look!
A cropped Hubble Space Telescope image of the Messier 4 star cluster. (Photo by NASA, ESA and others )
By Alexander Castro
Former NASA Marshall Space Flight Center chief technologist Les Johnson and Mae Jemison, who made history in 1992 as the first Black woman to travel in space, are among the scientist speakers lined up for the University of Rhode Island 2026 Honors Colloquium, which starts Tuesday, Sept. 15 and runs through Dec. 8 on the Kingston campus. The 63rd annual lecture series is titled “Interstellar Exploration: Journey Beyond Your Limits.”
The U.S. Supreme Court on April 9, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
By Jacob Fischler
The hotly contested U.S. Postal Service rule restricting mail-in voting usurps Congress’ authority, as well as states’ power to administer elections, more than 250 current and former members of Congress said in a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. All 47 members of the U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus, 199 current House Democrats and 15 former House Republicans signed the friend-of-the-court brief opposing President Donald Trump’s policy to add several requirements to mail ballots.
ICYMI
Women on parole face higher rates of mental health, housing challenges | Amanda Watford, Stateline
Trump’s trade war with Canada escalates as new tariffs launch | Ashley Murray, D.C. Bureau
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