Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorses Foulkes in Providence
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi endorsed democratic Gubernatorial candidate Helena Buonanno Foulkes in front of a crowd in Providence on Sunday.
The rally was two days before the primary in the Ocean State.
Pelosi has a personal connection to Foulkes and her mother: the two were close friends.
"If I didn't think that Helena would be a great governor of Rhode Island, if I didn't think that she could win this, I would have never encouraged her to put herself in the arena," Pelosi said.
Foulkes, a former high-ranking executive at CVS, has focused on education and job creation as part of her campaign.
"The speaker is very busy so I was very thrilled she could be here," Foulkes said. "She is as you can tell today a very close personal friend, so she made that commitment this week and I am really honored by it."
NBC 10's political expert Wendy Schiller agreed that Pelosi's visit was a big deal.
"It is certainly very significant that speaker Pelosi would take the time to come a couple of days before the primary because if she believed that Foulkes had no chance it is unlikely, she would be here. Pelosi clearly thinks Foulkes has a chance to win this primary," Schiller said.
Foulkes is running against democratic challengers Gov. Dan McKee, Matt Brown, Nellie Gorbea, and Dr. Luis Daniel Muñoz.
"As governor she will not only be a governor, a job creator, she will be a job attractor," Pelosi said.
Schiller said undecided voters are a key factor in Tuesday's primary.
"Right now, the Foulkes campaign is trying to really rally those undecideds, make them feel good about voting for Helena Foulkes and make sure they show up to the polls on Tuesday," Schiller said.