A Republican primary for governor of Rhode Island remained too close to call early Thursday morning, with former NFL cheerleader and publisher Elaine Pelino locked in a tight contest against Aaron Guckian, a former aide to ex-Gov. Donald Carcieri.
The race has pitted two very different candidate profiles against each other as Rhode Island Republicans look for a nominee who can finally break through in a state that has favored Democrats for years. In the last gubernatorial election, Democratic incumbent Daniel McKee defeated Republican Ashley Kalus by a wide margin, 57.9% to 38.9%.
Pelino has positioned herself as the party’s grassroots choice, campaigning on merit-based hiring, support for law enforcement, stricter immigration enforcement and school choice. Before entering politics, she worked as a model, in media, and as a cheerleader for the Houston Oilers, the franchise that later became the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. In 2011 she founded Tigress magazine, which ran for 12 issues.
“This is what I’m going to do. I’m learning. Everything is a learning [curve] because I’m not a lifetime politician. I’m here because I love Rhode Island. And I want them to have a great life. I want them to live in a prosperous and safe place. We should get all the illegals out of here,” Pelino said at a candidate forum.
Guckian, by contrast, has run a more policy-focused campaign centered on overhauling the state’s permitting process, improving government service delivery, and tightening control over how Rhode Island spends its revenue. He has argued the state’s spending growth has become unsustainable.
“The state budget increased from $9.3 billion in 2019 to more than $14 billion between 2024 and 2026, nearly 50% growth in five years, even as federal COVID relief dollars are expiring,” Guckian said on his campaign website. “Rhode Island made a critical mistake. We built permanent commitments on temporary federal money.”
Whichever candidate ultimately wins the nomination will face a difficult path in the Nov. 3 general election in a state that has not elected a Republican governor in more than two decades.
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