Dan McKee Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Dan McKee
McKee in 2022

76th Governor of Rhode Island
Incumbent
Assumed office March 2, 2021
Lieutenant	Sabina Matos
Preceded by	Gina Raimondo
69th Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
In office January 6, 2015 – March 2, 2021
Governor	Gina Raimondo
Preceded by	Elizabeth Roberts
Succeeded by	Sabina Matos
Mayor of Cumberland
In office January 7, 2007 – January 6, 2015
Preceded by	David Iwuc
Succeeded by	William Murray
In office January 2001 – January 2005
Preceded by	Frank Gaschen
Succeeded by	David Iwuc
Member of the Cumberland Town Council
In office 1992–1998

Personal details
Born	Daniel J. McKee (1951-06-16) June 16, 1951 (age 74) Cumberland, Rhode Island, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Susan McGill
Children	2
Education	Assumption University (BA) Harvard University (MPA)
Website	Government website

Daniel J. McKee (born June 16, 1951) is an American politician and businessman. He is currently the 76th governor of Rhode Island. He has held this important job since 2021. Before becoming governor, he was Rhode Island's 69th lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

McKee was born in Cumberland, Rhode Island. He studied at Assumption College and later earned a master's degree from the Harvard Kennedy School. He served on the Cumberland town council and was mayor of Cumberland for many years. He became governor when the previous governor, Gina Raimondo, took a job in the U.S. government. McKee was then elected to a full term as governor in 2022.

Early Life and Education
Early Career and Community Work
Serving as Lieutenant Governor
Becoming Governor of Rhode Island
Electoral History
See also

Early Life and Education

Dan McKee grew up in Cumberland, Rhode Island. After finishing Cumberland High School, he went to Assumption College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. Later, in 2005, he received a Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School. This degree helps people learn how to manage public services and government.

Early Career and Community Work

Before his political career, McKee worked in his family's business. It was called McKee Brothers and delivered heating oil and provided air conditioning services. He also ran a health and fitness business for over 30 years.

McKee was involved in local government early on. He served on the Cumberland, Rhode Island Town Council from 1992 to 1998. During this time, he also coached basketball. He later served six terms as the mayor of Cumberland.

He has also been a dedicated member of the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland-Lincoln for more than 25 years. He even served as the president of their executive board.

Serving as Lieutenant Governor

In 2013, McKee decided to run for Rhode island lieutenant governor. He won the election in 2014 and was reelected in 2018. The lieutenant governor is like a vice president for the state. They step in if the governor cannot do their job.

On January 7, 2021, the governor at the time, Gina Raimondo, was chosen by President-elect Joe Biden for a job in his cabinet. She became the United States Secretary of Commerce. Because McKee was the lieutenant governor, he was next in line to become governor. He officially became governor on March 2, 2021, after Governor Raimondo's new role was confirmed.

When he became lieutenant governor, McKee focused on important issues. He paid close attention to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. He wanted to make sure vaccines were given out quickly and fairly.

Becoming Governor of Rhode Island

McKee with Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos in 2023

Dan McKee was sworn in as the 76th governor of Rhode Island on March 2, 2021. As governor, he is the chief executive of the state. He leads the state government and works to improve the lives of Rhode Islanders.

In February 2022, Governor McKee announced he would run for reelection. He won the Democratic primary election. Then, he won the general election against Republican Ashley Kalus. This meant he would serve a full four-year term as governor.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Rhode Island in 2021, Governor McKee's main goal was to speed up vaccine distribution. By July 4, Rhode Island had vaccinated 70% of its adult population. This made it one of the first states to reach that goal. He also lifted the state's mask mandate in July 2021, but kept the emergency declaration for a while longer. In February 2022, he announced that Rhode Island would lift mask mandates as infection rates dropped.

Electoral History

This section shows the results of the elections Dan McKee has been a part of. It includes his races for mayor of Cumberland, lieutenant governor, and governor.

Mayor of Cumberland Elections

2000 Cumberland mayoral election
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan McKee	4,390	61.48
	Democratic	Francis Gaschen	2,750	38.52
Total votes			7,140	100
General election
	Democratic	Dan McKee	11,625	100.00
Total votes			11,625	100

2002 Cumberland mayoral election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	9,131	81.94
	Independent	Julian Pytka	2,012	18.06
Total votes			11,143	100

2004 Cumberland mayoral election
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Iwuc	2,666	54.98
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	2,183	45.02
Total votes			4,849	100

2006 Cumberland mayoral election
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan McKee	4,331	62.33
	Democratic	David Iwuc (incumbent)	2,666	37.67
Total votes			6,997	100
General election
	Democratic	Dan McKee	10,612	100.00
Total votes			10,612	100

2008 Cumberland mayoral election
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	3,871	64.40
	Democratic	David Iwuc	2,140	35.60
Total votes			6,011	100
General election
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	12,650	100.00
Total votes			12,650	100

2010 Cumberland mayoral election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	8,091	63.95
	Independent	David Iwuc	4,562	36.05
Total votes			12,653	100

2012 Cumberland mayoral election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	12,667	96.55
	Write-in		452	3.45
Total votes			13,119	100

Lieutenant Governor Elections

2014 Rhode Island lieutenant gubernatorial election
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan McKee	48,634	43.47
	Democratic	Ralph Mollis	40,208	35.94
	Democratic	Frank Ferri	23,029	20.59
Total votes			111,871	100
General election
	Democratic	Dan McKee	169,078	54.29
	Republican	Catherine Terry Taylor	105,305	33.81
	Moderate	William H. Gilbert	25,951	8.33
	Libertarian	Tony Jones	10,221	3.28
	Write-in		906	0.29
Total votes			311,461	100

2018 Rhode Island lieutenant gubernatorial election
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	57,983	51.09
	Democratic	Aaron Regunberg	55,517	48.91
Total votes			133,500	100
General election
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	226,528	61.87
	Republican	Paul Pence	106,505	29.09
	Moderate	Joel Hellmann	11,332	3.10
	Independent	Jonathan J. Riccitelli	9,866	2.70
	Independent	Ross K. McCurdy	9,408	2.57
	Write-in		2,513	0.69
Total votes			366,152	100

Governor Elections

2022 Rhode Island gubernatorial election
Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	37,288	32.8
	Democratic	Helena Foulkes	33,931	29.9
	Democratic	Nellie Gorbea	29,811	26.2
	Democratic	Matt Brown	9,021	7.9
	Democratic	Luis Daniel Muñoz	3,547	3.1
Total votes			113,598	100
General election
	Democratic	Dan McKee (incumbent)	207,166	57.9
	Republican	Ashley Kalus	139,001	38.9
	Independent	Zachary Hurwitz	4,512	1.3
	Independent	Paul Rianna	3,123	0.9
	Libertarian	Elijah Gizzarelli	2,811	0.8
	Write-in		1,057	0.3
Total votes			357,670	100

Dan McKee facts for kids

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