People are typing “who is Helena Foulkes” into search bars right now because she just did something that hasn’t happened in Rhode Island in more than 30 years: she beat a sitting governor in his own party’s primary. This guide walks through her background, her long career in retail, and exactly what happened this week, with anything unverified clearly marked as such.
Background: Who Is Helena Foulkes?
Helena Buonanno Foulkes is an American businesswoman and Democratic politician from Rhode Island. Before politics, she spent about 25 years climbing the ranks at CVS Health, eventually running its massive retail pharmacy business, and later became CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue.
She comes from a well-known political family. Her grandfather, Thomas J. Dodd, was a Nuremberg trial prosecutor who later became a U.S. senator from Connecticut. Her uncle, Chris Dodd, also served as a U.S. senator and ran for president in 2008. That family background, paired with her own corporate career, made her a serious contender when she first ran for Rhode Island governor in 2022.
She narrowly lost that 2022 primary to incumbent Governor Dan McKee by roughly 3,300 votes. People are searching for her now because she ran again in 2026, in a rematch against McKee, and this time she won by a wide margin.
Latest Update
As of September 11, 2026, here is what’s currently known. Helena Foulkes defeated Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary on September 9, 2026. Unofficial results from the Rhode Island Board of Elections showed her winning by roughly 24 points, 62% to 38%, a much wider margin than pre-election polling had suggested. This result is confirmed by multiple independent outlets, including the Associated Press, NBC News, and The Washington Post, all of which called the race for Foulkes.
Key dates confirmed by major news outlets:
• September 9, 2025 — Foulkes announces her second run for governor
• September 9, 2026 — Foulkes defeats incumbent Gov. Dan McKee in the Democratic primary
• November 3, 2026 — General election, where Foulkes is considered the heavy favorite
McKee’s loss is being described as historically significant. He became the first sitting Rhode Island governor to lose a primary in more than 30 years, and the first governor in any U.S. state to lose a renomination bid since 2018. Reporting points to voter frustration over McKee’s handling of the prolonged Washington Bridge closure in Providence as a major factor in the race, along with Foulkes significantly outspending him on campaign advertising.
Foulkes will now face Republican and independent challengers in the November 3, 2026 general election. Because Rhode Island is a heavily Democratic state, most political analysts consider her the strong favorite to become the state’s next governor, though that outcome is not yet confirmed and won’t be until votes are counted in November.
What’s still unconfirmed: Specific policy commitments Foulkes may make as governor-elect, any potential cabinet or staffing decisions, and her exact final vote count are not yet finalized as of this writing. Treat any specific numbers beyond the unofficial 62%-38% split as preliminary until the state certifies results.
Full Profile
Family and Early Life
Foulkes was born Helena Grace Buonanno, the eldest of five children of Bernard and Martha Buonanno. Her mother, Martha, was a Dodd family member, which connects Foulkes to a long line of Connecticut politicians. She grew up in Rhode Island and attended the Lincoln School, a private school in Providence.
Career Path
After college, Foulkes briefly worked at Goldman Sachs and Tiffany & Co. before going back to school for her MBA. She joined CVS in 1992 and spent roughly 25 years there, working her way up to executive vice president and chief marketing officer. She led the launch of the ExtraCare loyalty card and the Pharmacy Advisor counseling program, and she was a driving force behind CVS’s decision to pull cigarettes from its shelves, a move that cost the company an estimated $2 billion in annual sales but repositioned it as a health-focused retailer.
In 2011, CVS created a new role for her as chief health care strategy and marketing officer, where she oversaw thousands of retail stores and helped lead a $1.9 billion deal to buy Target’s pharmacy business. Fortune magazine placed her on its Most Powerful Women list multiple times during this stretch of her career.
In February 2018, Hudson’s Bay Company, the owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, hired her as CEO. She spent about two years trying to turn around the struggling department store business before leaving in March 2020, when the company reached a deal with shareholders to go private. After that, she took on a mix of board and executive chairman roles, including at Follett Higher Education Group, PM Pediatrics Management Group, and Costco Wholesale, along with co-founding an investment firm called BrightSpark Capital.
Age
Foulkes was born on July 18, 1964, making her 62 years old as of this article’s publish date.
Religion
Foulkes’s religious beliefs or affiliation are not documented in any verified public source. This should be treated as unconfirmed rather than assumed.
Spouse/Partner
Foulkes married William Foulkes in 1989. The two met while they were both students at Harvard. They have been married for over 35 years and have four children together.
Net Worth
There is no single, verified net worth figure for Foulkes. Estimates published online vary enormously, ranging from around $3 million based on older SEC stock filings to unofficial guesses above $25 million, none of which come from an audited or officially disclosed source. Her CVS compensation was reported by SEC filings to have reached into the $16-17 million range in some years while she was an executive there, but that reflects past pay, not her current total net worth. Any specific net worth figure for her should be treated as an unconfirmed estimate.
Parents
Her father was Bernard Buonanno. Her mother, Martha Buonanno (née Dodd), passed away from lung cancer, an experience Foulkes has cited publicly as part of why she pushed to remove tobacco products from CVS stores.
Height
No credible, sourced figure for Foulkes’s height could be verified. Any specific number circulating online should be treated as unconfirmed.
Education
Foulkes earned her Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College in 1986, graduating magna cum laude with a senior thesis advised by economist Larry Summers. She later returned to Harvard for her MBA at Harvard Business School. From 2016 to 2022, she also served on Harvard’s Board of Overseers, one of the university’s top governing bodies, and was its president for the 2021-2022 term.
Hometown / State of Origin
Foulkes was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and has lived in Rhode Island for most of her life. Her campaign has repeatedly emphasized that she is a lifelong Rhode Islander.
Official Social Media
Foulkes’s official campaign website is helenafoulkes.com. Her verified account on X (formerly Twitter) is @helenabfoulkes.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full/Birth Name | Helena Grace Buonanno Foulkes |
| Date of Birth | July 18, 1964 |
| Age | 62 |
| Birthplace | Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Occupation | Businesswoman; Democratic gubernatorial nominee |
| Known For | CVS Health and Hudson’s Bay Company executive; 2026 RI primary win |
| Education | Harvard College (AB, 1986); Harvard Business School (MBA) |
| Spouse | William Foulkes (m. 1989) |
| Children | 4 |
| Political Party | Democratic |
| Net Worth | Unconfirmed; estimates vary widely |
Quick context: Rhode Island’s Democratic primary is essentially the whole ballgame in most statewide races, since the state leans heavily Democratic. That’s a big reason analysts are already treating Foulkes as the likely next governor, even though the official general election is still weeks away.
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Who is Helena Foulkes?
Helena Foulkes is an American businesswoman who spent 25 years at CVS Health and later served as CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company. She is now the Democratic nominee for governor of Rhode Island after winning the September 2026 primary.
Did Helena Foulkes win the Rhode Island primary?
Yes. She defeated incumbent Governor Dan McKee in the Democratic primary held on September 9, 2026, by an unofficial margin of about 24 points, 62% to 38%.
How old is Helena Foulkes?
Foulkes was born on July 18, 1964, making her 62 years old as of September 2026.
What company did Helena Foulkes run before politics?
She spent about 25 years at CVS Health, rising to executive vice president and chief marketing officer, before becoming CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company, the parent of Saks Fifth Avenue, in 2018.
Is Helena Foulkes related to Chris Dodd?
Yes. Chris Dodd, the former U.S. senator from Connecticut and 2008 presidential candidate, is her uncle. Her grandfather, Thomas J. Dodd, was also a U.S. senator from Connecticut.
Will Helena Foulkes become governor of Rhode Island?
She is the Democratic nominee heading into the November 3, 2026 general election and is considered the strong favorite in the heavily Democratic state, but the outcome isn’t official until that election is decided and certified.
Is Helena Foulkes married?
Yes. She married William Foulkes in 1989, and the couple has four children together.
Wrap-Up
Helena Foulkes’s path to this moment took more than two decades: a long climb through the ranks at CVS, a turbulent stint trying to save a struggling department store chain, and a first failed run at the governor’s office that came down to a few thousand votes. Her 2026 primary win over Dan McKee isn’t a surprise out of nowhere. It’s the payoff of a rematch she’d been building toward since her narrow 2022 loss.
What makes this moment notable beyond Rhode Island politics is how rare it is. Sitting governors losing their own party’s primary almost never happens, and the size of her win, a 24-point margin in a race polls had shown much closer, suggests real voter frustration with the incumbent rather than just a close, ordinary contest.
The next real test comes in November, when Foulkes faces the general electorate. Until that vote is certified, calling her the next governor of Rhode Island is a strong expectation based on the state’s political lean, not a locked-in fact. This page will reflect updates as the general election develops.
Thomas Andrew is the founder of Odubio.com, a digital platform sharing inspiring biographies, news, and stories about global icons and achievers.