Foulkes Not Running for Congress
Monday, March 20, 2023
Former Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate -- and top CVS exec -- Helena Foulkes is not running for Congress.
Following speculation in recent weeks that she was eying the seat being vacated by Congressman David Cicilline -- which includes buying a house on the East Side -- Foulkes said she is out.
On Monday, Foulkes announced the following:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"Over the past few weeks, I have been humbled by the outpouring of support and encouragement from many of you urging me to run for Rhode Island’s soon-to-be vacant congressional seat in the first district. Your unwavering support fills me with immense gratitude, and I’m confident that with our collective effort, we could have run a successful campaign. But I wanted you to hear it from me first: I have decided not to run for Congress.
This wasn’t an easy decision. I’m deeply passionate about serving the people of Rhode Island and incredibly honored that so many of you believe that I would represent you and your families well in Washington. But right now, I believe that I can have a bigger impact in the long run by working with members of our community on local issues here at home. From our housing crisis to our struggling public schools to the test of the new economy, the challenges facing our state are real and immediate. I want to help fix them here.
I ran for governor driven by the belief that my leadership and executive experience could be channeled towards serving the state I love. And while our pursuit fell short, I remain convinced that there is still a lot that we can achieve together. Since last year’s race I have returned to several private and public sector responsibilities and have spent time with community leaders across the state, learning and giving counsel. I love coaching other leaders and have been inspired by how I can help people working on issues that matter to all of us. The challenges we face are real, but the opportunities we can embrace together are exciting.
While I cannot say for certain what the future holds, I remain deeply committed to our beautiful state and its potential to be a beacon of hope and progress for generations to come. Running for governor–and meeting all of you–was one of the best experiences of my life. Thank you for everything, and let’s continue to work together to get big things done for Rhode Island."
