Helena Foulkes

Helena Foulkes is the Democratic nominee for governor. A former CVS Pharmacy executive and former CEO of Hudson's Bay Company, she lost the 2022 Democratic primary to Dan McKee and defeated him in the 2026 primary. Her housing plan would dedicate millionaire's-tax revenue to a revolving loan fund that she says would create 20,000 new homes.[1][2][3]

Foulkes was born in Providence in 1964 and earned a B.A. from Harvard College in 1986 and an MBA from Harvard Business School.[1][4] She briefly worked in investment banking and at Tiffany & Co. before business school.[1]

Foulkes joined CVS in 1992 and spent a 25-year career at the company, rising to executive vice president and chief marketing officer and later chief health care strategy and marketing officer.[1][4] In February 2018 she became chief executive officer of Hudson's Bay Company, the owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, and she left the company in March 2020 after a deal with shareholders to take it private.[1] She has served on the boards of Home Depot, Salesforce and Costco Wholesale, and had not previously held elected office before her campaigns for governor.[4]

Foulkes announced a run for governor in October 2021 and finished second in the 2022 Democratic primary, losing to McKee by just under 3,900 votes.[1] She announced a second campaign in September 2025 and won the September 9, 2026 primary over McKee, carrying every municipality in the state.[1][4] Her platform includes the millionaire's tax to fund housing, an audit of increased energy bills and higher Medicaid reimbursement rates.[1][3]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.