Dan McKee was inducted on Tuesday as the 76th governor of Rhode Island.
Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea administered the oath of office to McKee, 69, a Democrat who was in his second term as deputy governor in the country’s smallest state.
McKee joined the government shortly after his predecessor, Gina Raimondo, after his appointment as President Biden’s secretary of commerce was confirmed by the United States Senate by 84 to 15 votes.
“I have the utmost confidence in you. You are a proud Rhode Islander, a dedicated civil servant, an experienced executive and a good man. You will serve our state with honor as its 76th governor,” wrote Raimondo in a resignation letter that was delivered to McKee.
On Tuesday, US Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, suspended Raimondo’s confirmation, saying he believed Raimondo had not taken a tough enough stance against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.
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Dan McKee speaks during the weekly Rhode Island coronavirus news briefing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium at the Rhode Island Statehouse in Providence, February 11, 2021. (Getty Images)
After taking the oath of office, McKee signed an executive order that allegedly echoed the promises made by his predecessors, which he said forced his administration “to the highest ethical standards”, the reports said.
McKee is now in charge of preparing the Rhode Island state budget, as well as dealing with the coronavirus pandemic that – according to Johns Hopkins University data – killed more than 2,500 people in his state, WPRI-TV reported.
Last month, McKee announced the creation of a new panel to guide his new government’s response to the outbreak. After leaving Statehouse, McKee told reporters that his immediate focus will be on vaccine distribution, according to the station.
“I just had some meetings upstairs about vaccinating and vaccinating teachers,” said McKee before getting into a car driven by the Rhode Island State Police.
McKee’s Background
McKee’s political career began in Cumberland, RI, where he was elected to the city council in 1992. He later went on to serve as mayor for 11 non-consecutive years, starting in 2000, when he defeated the current Francis Gaschen, according to WPRI-TV.
Despite losing his candidacy for re-election in 2004 to David Iwuc, he won the job in 2006 and held on to it until he was elected vice governor in 2014.
In 2014, McKee defeated Ralph Mollis and state deputy Frank Ferri in a three-way Democratic primary election before defeating Republican nominee Catherine Taylor in the general election.
Four years later, he faced Democratic MP Aaron Regunberg, who secured Senator Bernie Sanders’ endorsement, I-Vt. McKee won by about 2,500 votes.
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McKee is described as being less liberal than Raimondo and will likely fight for small business interests and charter school education.
“You will see a government that is a little more moderate than that of Raimondo,” said WPRI-TV political analyst Joe Fleming. “At the same time, I don’t think he’s going to be very conservative. He’s looking at 2022 and being the active governor puts him in a good position. If he’s too conservative, that could hurt him.”
His support for charter schools has resulted in him headbanging with the state’s largest public sector unions over the years.
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Fleming said that improving his relationship with unions can greatly help his chances of being elected in 2022 – as thousands of members are now part of his workforce, according to the season.
“It gives him something to work on over the past two years – trying to fix some fences,” said Fleming.
McKee will also be tasked with appointing the next deputy governor, which must be approved by the state Senate.
“We are ready to help the population of the state of RI in this pandemic and beyond,” he said, according to the Providence Journal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report