McKee backed a charter school moratorium. Now a major teachers union has endorsed him.

Five weeks after Gov. Dan McKee signed into law a controversial bill temporarily banning new charter schools — departing from his own past support for charter schools — the payoff has come through for his reelection campaign.

The Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (RIFTHP) endorsed McKee in an announcement Friday. The backing of the 12,000-member teachers union marks a significant gain for McKee’s reelection campaign after the state party and the Rhode Island AFL-CIO declined to endorse a gubernatorial candidate, a move seen as a snub to a sitting governor.

McKee trailed challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes by double digits in the most recent public polling in May, and was outfundraised by Foulkes by a more than 2-to-1 margin as of March 31. Second-quarter campaign finance reports must be submitted to the state elections board by Friday night. 

“This could be a plus for the governor,” Joe Fleming, WPRI TV-12 political analyst, said in an interview Monday. “He needs some momentum.”

The teachers union did not back McKee in 2022, instead endorsing Nellie Gorbea, one of three Democratic challengers in a five-way primary that also featured Foulkes. Foulkes finished second, losing to McKee by 3 percentage points, while Gorbea, the former secretary of state, came in third, another 3 points behind Foulkes.

McKee’s recent actions, including signing the three-year charter school moratorium bill this year, a key priority for teachers unions, show his “willingness to work with educators and take meaningful action to strengthen Rhode Island’s public schools,” the federation said in a statement.

The union also cited McKee’s approval on legislation limiting state intervention in local school districts, and his signature after-hours community learning program, Learn365, as other reasons for its endorsement. 

“Our members don’t expect to agree with every governor on every issue,” President Maribeth Calabro said in a statement. “What matters is whether a governor listens, engages in good faith, and is willing to act when it counts. Governor McKee has demonstrated that by signing important legislation that protects public education and supports local school communities.”

More information, including the vote breakdown among union members, was not immediately available.

A dual-language K-12 charter school that received preliminary, but not final, approval and is now subject to the three-year ban, sued McKee and state lawmakers Monday. In announcing the 55-page federal lawsuit, leaders of De La Comunidad Bilingual Public Charter School called McKee’s signature on the bill a political move to win support from the teachers unions in his reelection campaign.

The equally large and influential National Education Association of Rhode Island — the other major state teachers union that also has 12,000 members — has not announced its endorsements yet. Its president, Sen. Valarie Lawson, an East Providence Democrat, is also the leader of the Rhode Island Senate.

Both teachers unions represent a mix of public school teachers and higher education faculty throughout the state, and often collaborate in Rhode Island to advocate for state funding, pension adjustments and curriculum changes. The federation features the over 2,000-member Providence Teachers Union along with faculty at Rhode Island College, Bryant University, and the Brown University Graduate Labor Organization. The association features public school teachers and support staff in mostly suburban and rural school districts, and faculty and graduate workers at Roger Williams University and the University of Rhode Island. 

The association endorsed McKee in 2022.

Fleming thought it likely the association would again endorse McKee this year given his recent approval of the charter school moratorium and his administration’s recommendation to return the Providence Public School District to local control. 

The association’s political action committee is expected to make endorsements by the middle of this week, Stephanie Mandeville, an association spokesperson, said in an email Monday. The committee’s decision incorporates results from a candidate survey and screening interviews with candidates seeking endorsements, which are determined by a simple majority vote among members, Mandeville added.

The association’s political action committee donated $500 to McKee in January, according to campaign finance reports. 

Foulkes is unlikely to receive, or expect, an endorsement from the teachers union; she said publicly she would have vetoed the charter school moratorium bill.

“It’s not a loss for her if McKee gets the teachers unions,” Fleming said. “But it’s a win for him if he does.”

Angelika Pelligrino, a spokesperson for Foulkes’ campaign, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

There’s more than bragging rights on the line.

The large membership of both teachers unions could make the difference in the Sept. 9 primary if rank-and-file members turn out at the polls, Fleming said. 

But, Foulkes has her own roster of union supporters, including the 12,000-member SEIU State Council and the Rhode Island Troopers Association. McKee was previously endorsed by the Rhode Island Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the United Nurses and Allied Professionals, and General Teamsters Local 251.

“It’s clear the unions are not united in their support for one candidate or another,” Fleming said.

The divisions are evidenced by the Rhode Island AFL-CIO’s recent decision to stay neutral in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, the first time in decades that the leading state labor federation has not backed a Democratic incumbent in the governor’s race.

The Rhode Island Democratic Party opted not endorse a gubernatorial candidate at its state party convention in June.

But Foulkes has received strong support among local Democratic party leaders. On Monday, she picked up the endorsement from the Newport Democratic City Committee, having already won the backing of 13 other local party committees — including in McKee’s hometown of Cumberland. 

Advocacy groups are also weighing in, with Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island, the lobbying and political arm of the reproductive services group, backing McKee last week, while Foulkes picked up the endorsement from the Providence Streets Coalition. The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence declined to make an endorsement in the gubernatorial race, though the gun safety group endorsed Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos in her reelection bid and Rep. Jason Knight for attorney general. The Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals backed Xay Khamsyvoravong in the Democratic lieutenant governor’s race, and Keith Hoffmann in the attorney general primary.

The Democratic primary for lieutenant governor also includes former state Sen. Cindy Coyne and Providence City Councilor Sue AnderBois. The Democratic primary for the open attorney general’s seat also includes Kim Ahern and Rep. Joe Solomon Jr.

Early voting begins Aug. 20 for the Sept. 9 primary.