On Tuesday, the three major candidates vying to become Rhode Island’s next governor — Democrat Helena Foulkes, independent Ken Block and Republican Aaron Guckian — participated in their final televised debate before the upcoming general election on Nov. 3.
WPRI-12 News hosted the debate at Rhode Island College. Moderators Target 12 Chief Investigative Reporter Tim White and 12 News Politics Editor Ted Nesi posed a series of questions to the candidates, spanning topics such as housing, Flock cameras, healthcare and the minimum wage.
Early on, Nesi reminded the candidates that “the median price of a single-family home” in Rhode Island “is now over half a million dollars.” The state is currently experiencing widespread housing affordability challenges, which have been a flashpoint in this year’s elections.
Referencing Foulkes’s widely-advertised plan to build 20,000 housing units by 2034, the moderators asked about the other two candidates’ construction targets.
Block argued that before setting specific housing targets, the government should ask the question: “What do developers really need to deliver the units that we have to deliver?”
The independent candidate is interested in setting the record straight on “what land can be built on” and “what the permitting and regulatory process is going to be” before projects are initiated. But he was unable to provide an exact numerical target.
“I want to build housing for the middle class,” Foulkes said. “I have a very aggressive plan, and I do want to use the millionaires’ tax. … Instead of having it go into the general fund, I want people to know where that money is going.” Foulkes emphasized the need to build houses affordable for the average family in Rhode Island.
Guckian proposed an incremental approach to creating more housing units, starting at 1,000 units and, through expediting the permitting and licensing process, increasing construction from there.
Another key issue in this year’s elections has been Rhode Island’s affordability crisis. In response to a question about a potential bill to raise the minimum wage to $20 by 2030, Foulkes committed to signing it while Guckian was opposed to the change. Block said that “17 to 20 is a lot on our small business community” and that he’d veto such legislation. Block gave a “qualified yes” when asked if he’d sign the bill.
To more widely address economic issues impacting the state, Foulkes said, “I think we need to be leaning into renewable energy,” adding that it is “great for the planet, but it’s also good for our pocketbooks.”
“Wind is coming onshore at 9 cents a kilowatt hour, solar at 4 to 6 cents a kilowatt hour, both much cheaper than natural gas,” she said.
The moderators also posed a question about Flock cameras, which have come under fire for surveillance and data security concerns. Several municipalities across the state have terminated their contracts with Flock.
“I’m very concerned about Flock cameras and the ability of bad actors to get into those databases,” Block said. “I think we should highly regulate Flock cameras.”
Guckian shared similar views on supporting regulation, specifically saying he would work with law enforcement officers to develop specific policies, remarking that he is “all in on the blue in regards to Flock cameras.”
Foulkes agreed with the regulatory approach to Flock and reiterated her connection with the law enforcement community. “The blue are all in on me,” Foulkes responded through cheers from the audience. “I thank the state troopers for endorsing me.”
All three candidates agreed that the state budget is set to pose major challenges this fiscal year.
“I’m not going to do what I think politicians too often do, which is stand up here and make a promise that I can’t commit to,” Foulkes said. “This is going to be a really challenging budget year.”
Guckian communicated a more controversial approach to the state budget. He plans to allocate 10% of the budget — around $1.5 billion — to savings redirected to supporting retirees. According to him, the solution to budget challenges is working “directly with the front line union workers” and providing them incentives.
“When they get savings and fix systems, we can lower taxing fees. We can also work with the federal government. We can get grants,” Guckian said.
Throughout the course of his campaign, Guckian has leveraged his membership of the Republican party to argue that he will produce better outcomes when working to get federal funding.
When the mediators started to push candidates toward closing statements, Foulkes expressed worries about insufficient time to discuss the state’s issues regarding healthcare.
“I think the thing that worries me the most is what the Trump administration has done with the Big Beautiful Bill,” she said.
“40,000 Rhode Islanders in January are at great risk of losing access to Medicaid,” Foulkes added. She said she wants to help Rhode Islanders understand how to fill out the complex Medicaid paperwork by tasking “Medicaid navigators” with assisting residents.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Herald’s request for comment about changes to Medicaid.
Block focused his comments about healthcare on his “One Stay, One Bill” plan. He described that, after hospital discharges, “the months of bills from all kinds of different providers trickle in, and the experience can be more painful than what sent you to the hospital in the first place.”
“I believe that the hospital should provide one bill to the patient within 30 days of discharge that has all the prior bills right on there,” he explained.
One attendee, Donna Letendre, said that her perceptions of the candidates “definitely” changed after the debate. “I’m backing Ken Block,” she said. “He’s a very honest man.”
Regarding Foulkes, Letendre thought that the former CVS Health executive did “a good job.” She said that Guckian “just made up nonsense.”
Clovis Gregor — Pawtucket City Council’s District 5 representative — told The Herald that he is supporting Foulkes and added that he is looking for a candidate “who’s going to be transparent relative to the budget and how the spending is done.”
Attendee Hanne LeBlanc said she believes that Foulkes “has always been very strong,” but thought that Block “stood out a little better” during the debate.
“We think the state’s in a tough place right now, so we’re paying attention,” her husband, Robert LeBlanc, added. “We want to hear some new ideas.”
Annika Melwani is a metro senior staff writer covering state politics and justice. She is from New York City and plans on concentrating in English and International and Public Affairs. In her free time, she can be found reading or drinking an iced vanilla latte.
