In a significant political move, former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a surprise appearance in Rhode Island to endorse Democrat Helena Foulkes in her bid for governor. The event, held at Farm Fresh Rhode Island, marked Pelosi's first trip to the state to campaign for Foulkes, who is currently leading her opponent, incumbent Dan McKee, by at least 15 points in the polls.
Pelosi, who is not seeking reelection after nearly 40 years in Congress, shared personal anecdotes with the crowd, recalling her college days and her friendship with Foulkes' parents, Bernie and Martha Dodd Buonanno. She emphasized the importance of the upcoming election, particularly in the context of the Trump administration's policies and the challenges they pose to states like Rhode Island.
"Washington has put a lot of pressure on Rhode Island, on every state," Pelosi said, referencing the cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP benefits that she attributed to the federal government. "They take a trillion dollars out of Medicaid. Shocking. They take a half a trillion dollars out of Medicare, hundreds of billions of dollars out of SNAP ... food out of the mouths of babies to give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country and the pressure falls to the states to try to help the people that are affected by that."
Pelosi expressed her confidence in Foulkes' ability to lead Rhode Island through these challenging times. "We need a values-based, determined decision-maker, courageous enough to make the decisions," she said. "I'm here as a former first woman speaker of the House, but I'm a former state Democratic Party chair and I know what we have to do to win elections. What we have to do is have no wasted time, no underutilized resources and no regrets the day after an election if we've just done a little bit more."
Foulkes, in her remarks, echoed Pelosi's sentiments and vowed to take the state back for the people. "I don't want to just win this race, okay? I want to crush this. We're going to crush it because we're going to send a message: the state needs to work for everyone in this state, not the powerful few," she said. "This is us taking the state back. Let's crush this, baby."
The event was not just a celebration of Foulkes' campaign but also a call to action for the state's residents. Pelosi and Foulkes discussed the importance of protecting elections against threats from the administration and emphasized the need for public engagement. "There are probably over a hundred ways that the administration could undermine an election, but we have been doing this for a while," Pelosi said. "This isn't new. But for this year we've been doing litigation, winning almost every case in court, legislation to make the members [make] a choice about this so the people can see where they are."
The rally concluded with a spirited performance of Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)" as Pelosi and Foulkes exited the stage, leaving the crowd energized and ready to fight for change in Rhode Island. The endorsement by Pelosi, a prominent figure in the Democratic Party, is expected to bolster Foulkes' campaign and increase her chances of victory in the upcoming election.
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