In Rhode Island on Tuesday, Democrats navigated some high-stakes contested primaries, including one for governor. Gov. Dan McKee (D), who replaced Gina Raimondo after she was appointed to President Joe Biden's Cabinet to lead the Commerce Department, defeated business executive Helena Foulkes in a competitive race.

McKee had been dogged by a scandal over a $5 million contract awarded to a political adviser's consulting firm, which became the subject of an FBI probe. Foulkes received a late assist from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who came to the state to campaign for her Sunday.

"If I didn't think that she could win this, I would have never encouraged her to put herself in the arena," Pelosi told voters in Providence. "She is about getting the job done."

Ashley Kalus, a businesswoman, won the GOP primary and will face McKee. Kalus, who owns a COVID-19 testing company that’s in a dispute with the state over a canceled contract, moved to Rhode Island last year from Illinois and previously worked for former Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

An open seat in Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Jim Langevin is seen as one of Republicans' most promising chances to flip a seat in their endeavor to win back the House majority. There, state Treasurer Seth Magaziner was the winner of the Democratic primary, according to the Associated Press, prevailing over former state congressman David Segal, who ran on a more liberal platform, and former Commerce Department lawyer Sarah Morgenthau.

Republican Allan Fung, who carried the district in two failed runs for governor, won his party's nomination in an uncontested primary. Biden carried the district by 14 points in 2020, giving Democrats hope of retaining the seat in November.

Matt Brown, who finished well behind in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, and running mate Cynthia Mendes, a state senator, got a late endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who did not campaign in the state. Both Democrats were part of the Rhode Island Political Cooperative, a liberal project to replace the state's more conservative leadership and pass an agenda that includes a $19 minimum wage and universal health care.