Daniel McKee
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Daniel James McKee (born June 16, 1951) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 76th
governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...
since March 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Rhode Island's 69th lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2021. Born in Cumberland, Rhode Island, McKee received his undergraduate degree from Assumption College and his Master's degree from
Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
. He served on the Cumberland
town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second t ...
from 1992 to 1998 and as mayor of Cumberland twice, from 2000 to 2004 and from 2006 until 2014. McKee was elected lieutenant governor in 2014. When Governor
Gina Raimondo Gina Marie Raimondo (; born May 17, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and venture capitalist who has served as the 40th United States Secretary of Commerce since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 75th g ...
resigned upon being confirmed as
United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...
in 2021, McKee ascended to the governorship.


Early life

McKee's family has owned and operated small businesses in northern Rhode Island for over 100 years. He is a practicing Roman Catholic. After graduating from Cumberland High School, McKee received a Bachelor of Arts in
education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
and
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
from Assumption College in
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
in 1973. He earned a Master of Public Administration from the
Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
in 2005.


Early career

McKee was an officer of McKee Brothers, a heating, air conditioning, and home heating oil delivery business his grandfather founded. He also ran a health and fitness business for more than 30 years. During his time on the Cumberland, Rhode Island Town Council (1992–1998), McKee was also a basketball coach, coaching groups of boys and girls at all levels, culminating in two State AAU Basketball Champions in 1998 and 2000. McKee served six terms as Cumberland's mayor. He worked with state and federal officials in the aftermath of Cumberland's historic spring flooding to minimize the damage and steered Cumberland through Rhode Island's unprecedented economic downturn. In 2008, McKee worked with mayors across the state to pass a law allowing the creation of new, regional, mayor-governed and highly autonomous public schools known as “Mayoral Academies.” In 2009 and 2010, he again helped organize mayors and education advocates to enact a new education funding policy. McKee has been a member of the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland-Lincoln for over 25 years, serving as past president of the executive board and chair of the endowment committee.


Lieutenant governor of Rhode Island

In 2013, McKee announced his candidacy for
Rhode island lieutenant governor The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gove ...
, defeating
Secretary of State of Rhode Island The secretary of state of Rhode Island is an elected office in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of 2015, the current secretary of state is Nellie Gorbea. The Rhode Island Department of State or is composed of five separate divisions: *The Ele ...
Ralph Mollis Angelo Ralph Mollis (born May 24, 1961) is an American politician who served as the Secretary of State of Rhode Island from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he assumed office on January 1, 2007. He was reelected to a second term ...
and State Representative
Frank Ferri Frank G. Ferri (born February 2, 1954) is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, representing the 22nd district from October 24, 2007 until January 6, 2015. A Rhode Island native, Ferr ...
in the Democratic primary. In the general election, he defeated
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Catherine Terry Taylor, a legislative aide and speechwriter for U.S. Senators
John Chafee John Lester Hubbard Chafee ( ; October 22, 1922 – October 24, 1999) was an American politician and officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Republican Party (United States), he served as the 66th Governor of Rhode Island, as ...
and
Lincoln Chafee Lincoln Davenport Chafee ( ; born March 26, 1953) is an American politician. He was mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island from 1993 to 1999, a United States Senator from 1999 to 2007, and the 74th Governor of Rhode Island from 2011 to 2015. He was a m ...
, with 54.3% of the vote. He was reelected in 2018. On January 7, 2021, President-elect Joe Biden selected Rhode Island Governor
Gina Raimondo Gina Marie Raimondo (; born May 17, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and venture capitalist who has served as the 40th United States Secretary of Commerce since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 75th g ...
as Secretary of Commerce. Since McKee was next in line of succession, he would become governor once Raimondo was confirmed by the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
. She was confirmed on March 2, 2021, and submitted her resignation as governor shortly after. In February 2021, McKee began to form a
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
advisory board. He had criticized the Raimondo administration over a slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout.


Governor of Rhode Island

McKee was sworn in as the 76th
governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...
on March 2, 2021. On February 22, 2022, McKee announced that he was running for reelection to a full four-year term. He won the September 13 Democratic primary, defeating four challengers in a close race. He defeated Republican nominee Ashley Kalus in the general election.


COVID-19

McKee said his main priority was to advance COVID-19 vaccine rollout and contain the COVID-19 pandemic in Rhode Island. By July 4, Rhode Island had fully vaccinated over 633,000 people, representing 70% of its eligible adult population. It was the fifth state to reach that milestone. Also in July, McKee terminated the state mask mandate but extended the COVID-19 emergency declaration to August 6, citing the prevalence of the
delta variant The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in India in late 2020. The Delta variant was named on 31 May 2021 and had spread to over 179 countries by 22 November 2021. The ...
.


Electoral history


Mayor of Cumberland


Lieutenant Governor


Governor


References


External links


Governor Dan McKee
official government website
McKee for Governor
campaign website * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McKee, Daniel 1951 births 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Assumption University (Worcester) alumni Businesspeople from Rhode Island Democratic Party governors of Rhode Island Harvard Kennedy School alumni Lieutenant Governors of Rhode Island Living people Mayors of places in Rhode Island People from Cumberland, Rhode Island Rhode Island city council members