MAGA candidate Elaine Pelino backs independent Ken Block for governor

Five weeks after narrowly losing the Republican gubernatorial primary, Elaine Pelino is urging her supporters to cross party lines and vote for independent Ken Block in the Nov. 3 general election.

The support from Pelino, who initially suggested she did not intend to make a public endorsement after the primary, comes amid pressure for GOP nominee Aaron Guckian to drop out amid low polling and lack of campaign cash.

Pelino acknowledged that Block is not part of the MAGA group of Trump supporters she aligns with, and “not even a Republican anymore.” But, after a new WPRI-TV 12 poll published Tuesday put Guckian in third place, with only 10% of the vote, Pelino said Block was the best chance to defeat Democratic nominee Helena Buonanno Foulkes.

“In a three-way race, every vote for Aaron comes straight out of Ken Block’s column and lands in Helena Foulkes’ lap,” Pelino wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday morning. “But you know what President Trump hates even more than a loser? A drug dealer who ruins our communities.”

Foulkes, former president of CVS Pharmacy, is under renewed scrutiny for her work at the pharmacy giant following news of a $315 million federal settlement with CVS announced Tuesday. The agreement, in which CVS does not admit any wrongdoing, resolves a yearslong federal investigation alleging the company perpetuated the opioid crisis by filling fake or unnecessary opioid prescriptions.

Foulkes is not named in the lawsuit.

Guckian held a press conference outside the State House Wednesday morning to call on Foulkes to “answer questions” about her leadership at CVS in relation to the federal allegations. 

Angelika Pellegrino, a spokesperson for Foulkes’ campaign, repeated previous statements pointing to Foulkes’ work to reduce the opioid crisis by cutting off pill mill doctors and launching a drug take-back program. A Rhode Island Current investigation of those claims found some of the statistics are exaggerated, or results of efforts driven by economic trends and legislative changes not led by Foulkes.

“She hopes the resources from yesterday’s settlement will go toward supporting the families who have been affected by the crisis,” Pellegrino said in a statement.

Regarding Pelino’s endorsement, Pellegrino said it was “not surprising,” calling Block a “failed Republican candidate.” Pellegrino referenced Block’s comments during a Tuesday morning debate, in which Block said he opposed the Affordable Care Act and the millionaire’s tax. 

Mailers sent out last week by the Rhode Island Democratic Party on behalf of Foulkes insinuated that Block is secretly still a Republican, despite leaving the party after a failed gubernatorial run in 2014. Before that, Block was the founder and 2010 gubernatorial candidate for the Moderate Party, which has since dissolved.

Pelino acknowledged in her social media post that Block is not a Republican and not part of the right-wing MAGA group she espouses. Block, a software engineer, was hired by the Trump campaign in 2020 to investigate allegations of voter fraud. He found none, documented in a book called “Disproven.”

Pelino reasoned that since Donald Trump has elevated critics such as Marco Rubio and JD Vance to powerful positions in his administration, “he’ll be fine with boring Ken Block.”

“He’s a capitalist, a businessman, and he’s spent years exposing the corruption and cronyism the insiders wanted left alone,” Pelino said of Block. “Rhode Islanders are drowning. Ken is our best shot, and we have to take it.”

Block thanked Pelino for her endorsement while also criticizing Foulkes in a statement Wednesday.

“I am earning support from across the political spectrum because voters recognize that partisanship doesn’t solve problems,” Block said. “This race isn’t about left versus right. It’s about status quo versus change. Rhode Islanders are realizing that Helena represents more of the same and I am the only candidate who can defeat her. Voters don’t want another member of the political establishment, backed by special interests and out-of-state money, to serve as our next Governor.”

Guckian, who previously said he wanted Pelino’s support, fired back at both Pelino and Block while defending his candidacy.

“Convictions should come with a backbone, not a weather vane,” Guckian said in an emailed statement. “I think Republicans deserve to know what commitments Elaine secured from Ken on those principles before throwing her support behind him. A poll does not overturn an election, and the decision Republican voters made deserves to be respected. Elaine has made her choice. I’m standing by mine, and I intend to honor the trust Republican voters placed in me.”