Overview
- Voters are deciding the Sept. 9 Democratic primary between incumbent Gov. Dan McKee and Helena Foulkes with results still pending.
- State transportation officials flagged a “critical failure” in an older section of the I-195 span in December 2023, and planners rerouted traffic onto the newer span with fewer lanes, producing long daily commutes.
- Foulkes has made the slow demolish-and-replace project the central issue of her campaign and has outspent McKee by nearly two-to-one, according to state campaign finance records.
- McKee argues his choices prioritized public safety, points to the longer-scale replacement of Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge for context, and says the Washington Bridge work will finish by 2028.
- The primary is being watched as a test of incumbent accountability in basic services that could decide November’s favored Democratic nominee, and Republicans Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino are contesting their own primary with the state GOP backing Guckian.