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Incumbent Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) defeated Allan Fung (R) and four others in the November 6, 2018, general election for governor of Rhode Island.
Democrats' trifecta status in the state was at stake. Heading into the election, Rhode Island was one of eight states with a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats controlled the state House, state Senate, and governorship. Democrats maintained a trifecta after the November 6 elections.
Raimondo and Fung faced off in the 2014 gubernatorial election, which Raimondo won by 4.5 percentage points. The Democratic Governors Association contributed $2 million toward the 2018 race through October 9, and the Republican Governors Association contributed $950,000 through October 2.
Independent and third-party candidates in the race included Anne Armstrong (Compassion Party), Bill Gilbert (Moderate Party of Rhode Island), Luis-Daniel Munoz (Independent), and Joseph Trillo (Independent).
Trillo, who performed best among non-major-party candidates in several polls, was expected to garner votes from Republican-leaning voters.
The winner of this election stood to influence the state's redistricting process following the 2020 census. Under Rhode Island state law, the governor has the power to veto congressional and state legislative district maps proposed by the state legislature.
Rhode Island was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election.
Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2018
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Gina Raimondo | Allan Fung | Bill Gilbert | Anne Armstrong | Joseph Trillo | Luiz Daniel Munoz | Undecided/Don't know | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleming & Associates October 20-24, 2018 | WPRI-12/Roger Williams University | 45% | 34% | 2% | 2% | 9% | 1% | 8% | +/-4.8 | 416 |
| University of New Hampshire Sept. 27-Oct. 6, 2018 | RIPR/Providence Journal/ABC6 | 48% | 34% | 1% | 1% | 5% | 1% | 11% | +/-4.4 | 503 |
| Fleming & Associates September 14-17, 2018 | WPRI-12/Roger Williams University | 43% | 36% | 2% | 1% | 7% | 1% | 9% | +/-4.8 | 420 |
| Rhode Island Governor, 2018 (Raimondo vs. Fung hypothetical match-up) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Gina Raimondo | Allan Fung | Bill Gilbert | Anne Armstrong | Joseph Trillo | Luiz Daniel Munoz | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||
| Fleming & Associates (July 28-31, 2018) | WPRI-12/Roger Williams University | 39% | 37% | 1% | 1% | 6% | 1% | 16% | +/-4.8 | 407 | ||||
| TargetPoint Consulting (November 4-7, 2017) | The Fung campaign | 41% | 46% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 13% | +/-4.0 | 600 | ||||
| AVERAGES | 40% | 41.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 3% | 0.5% | 14.5% | +/-4.4 | 503.5 | |||||
| Rhode Island Governor, 2018 (Raimondo v. Morgan hypothetical matchup) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Gina Raimondo | Patricia Morgan | Bill Gilbert | Anne Armstrong | Joseph Trillo | Luiz Daniel Munoz | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||
| Fleming & Associates (July 28-31, 2018) | WPRI-12/Roger Williams University | 42% | 24% | 2% | 2% | 8% | 2% | 22% | +/-4.8 | 407 | ||||
| Rhode Island Governor, 2018 (Raimondo v. Feroce hypothetical matchup) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Gina Raimondo | Giovanni Feroce | Bill Gilbert | Anne Armstrong | Joseph Trillo | Luiz Daniel Munoz | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||
| Fleming & Associates (July 28-31, 2018) | WPRI-12/Roger Williams University | 44% | 9% | 1% | 3% | 12% | 2% | 30% | +/-4.8 | 407 | ||||
| Rhode Island Governor, 2018 (Brown v. Fung hypothetical matchup) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Matt Brown | Allan Fung | Bill Gilbert | Anne Armstrong | Joseph Trillo | Luiz Daniel Munoz | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||
| Fleming & Associates (July 28-31, 2018) | WPRI-12/Roger Williams University | 21% | 36% | 3% | 2% | 7% | 1% | 30% | +/-4.8 | 407 | ||||
| Rhode Island Governor, 2018 (Brown v. Morgan hypothetical matchup) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Matt Brown | Patricia Morgan | Bill Gilbert | Anne Armstrong | Joseph Trillo | Luiz Daniel Munoz | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||
| Fleming & Associates (July 28-31, 2018) | WPRI-12/Roger Williams University | 25% | 21% | 4% | 3% | 9% | 2% | 36% | +/-4.8 | 407 | ||||
| Rhode Island Governor, 2018 (Brown v. Feroce hypothetical matchup) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Matt Brown | Giovanni Feroce | Bill Gilbert | Anne Armstrong | Joseph Trillo | Luiz Daniel Munoz | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||
| Fleming & Associates (July 28-31, 2018) | WPRI-12/Roger Williams University | 28% | 8% | 3% | 5% | 11% | 2% | 44% | +/-4.8 | 407 | ||||
The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage. Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.
Race ratings: Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2018
| Race tracker | Race ratings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 5, 2018 | October 30, 2018 | October 23, 2018 | October 16, 2018 | |
| The Cook Political Report | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic |
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic |
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Democratic | Likely Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic |
Governor of Rhode Island, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Gina Raimondo |
40.7% | 131,899 | |
| Republican | Allan Fung | 36.2% | 117,428 | |
| Moderate | Robert Healey | 21.4% | 69,278 | |
| Independent | Kate Fletcher | 1.1% | 3,483 | |
| Independent | Leon Kayarian | 0.4% | 1,228 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 739 | |
| Total Votes | 324,055 | |||
| Election results via State of Rhode Island | ||||
Governor of Rhode Island, 2010
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Lincoln Chafee |
36.1% | 123,571 | |
| Republican | John F. Robitaille | 33.6% | 114,911 | |
| Democratic | Frank T. Caprio | 23% | 78,896 | |
| Moderate | Ken Block | 6.5% | 22,146 | |
| Independent | Ronald Algieri | 0.2% | 793 | |
| Independent | Todd Giroux | 0.3% | 882 | |
| Independent | Joseph M. Lusi | 0.3% | 1,091 | |
| Total Votes | 342,290 | |||
| Election results Rhode Island Board of Elections | ||||
Governor of Rhode Island, 2006
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Donald Carcieri Incumbent |
51% | 197,306 | |
| Democratic | Charles J. Fogarty | 49% | 189,503 | |
| Total Votes | 386,809 | |||
Governor of Rhode Island, 2002
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Donald Carcieri |
54.8% | 181,827 | |
| Democratic | Myrth York | 45.2% | 150,229 | |
| Total Votes | 332,056 | |||
Demographic data for Rhode Island
| Rhode Island | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 1,055,607 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 1,034 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 51.6% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 81.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 6.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 13.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $56,852 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17.3% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Rhode Island. | ||
As of July 2016, Rhode Island's three largest cities were Providence (pop. est. 180,000), Cranston (pop. est. 81,000), and Warwick (pop. est. 81,000).
