Dan McKee Bio
Daniel J. McKee (born June 16, 1951) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the 76th governor of Rhode Island since March 2, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the state’s 69th lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2021. McKee came to statewide office after six terms as mayor of Cumberland and earlier service on the Cumberland Town Council.
McKee was born and raised in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and built much of his early professional life around local business and civic work. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in education and political science from Assumption College in 1973 and later completed a Master of Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2005. He was elected to a full term as governor in 2022.
Early Life and Background
Daniel J. McKee was born on June 16, 1951, in Cumberland, Rhode Island, where he also grew up. He graduated from Cumberland High School before continuing his education in Massachusetts. His upbringing in a small, working-class town in northern Rhode Island shaped the local political base that he would draw on for decades.
McKee came from a family with business roots. He went on to become an officer of McKee Brothers, a heating, air conditioning, and home heating oil delivery company that his grandfather had founded. In addition, he ran a health and fitness business for more than 30 years, giving him a long track record as a small-business owner before he entered public office full time.
Path to US Politics
McKee’s first elected office was on the Cumberland Town Council, where he served from 1992 to 1998. During that period he was also a basketball coach, reflecting his early interest in education and youth work that dated back to his college degree. His council years established him as a familiar local figure and set the stage for his move to the mayor’s office.
In 2000, McKee was elected mayor of Cumberland, beginning a long tenure that ultimately stretched across six terms and two stretches of service, from 2000 to 2004 and again from 2006 to 2014. He also became a steady presence in regional civic life, serving on the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland-Lincoln for more than 25 years, including time as past president of the executive board and chair of the endowment committee. Those years positioned him to run for statewide office in 2013.
Dan McKee Career
Early Career (1992–2014)
McKee’s political career began with his election to the Cumberland Town Council in 1992, where he served for six years while also coaching basketball. He then moved to the town’s top job, winning election as mayor of Cumberland in 2000 and serving two terms before briefly leaving office and returning for four more terms. By the time he ran for lieutenant governor, he had more than two decades of experience in Cumberland government.
Alongside his political work, McKee continued to manage business interests, including McKee Brothers, the heating, air conditioning, and home heating oil company started by his grandfather. He also kept up his health and fitness business for more than 30 years, balancing private enterprise with public service throughout this period.
Breakthrough (2013–2021)
In 2013, McKee announced his campaign for lieutenant governor of Rhode Island. In the Democratic primary he defeated Secretary of State Ralph Mollis and State Representative Frank Ferri. In the general election he defeated Republican Catherine Terry Taylor, a former legislative aide and speechwriter for U.S. senators John Chafee and Lincoln Chafee, with 54.3 percent of the vote. He was sworn in as Rhode Island’s 69th lieutenant governor.
McKee won reelection as lieutenant governor in 2018. In early 2021, President-elect Joe Biden selected Governor Gina Raimondo as U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Because McKee was next in the line of succession, he became governor once Raimondo was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 2, 2021. He was sworn in as the 76th governor of Rhode Island the same day, immediately confronting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
As governor, McKee moved quickly on the public health crisis. He formed a COVID-19 advisory board in February 2021, having previously criticized the Raimondo administration for what he called a slow vaccine rollout. By July 4, 2021, Rhode Island had fully vaccinated more than 633,000 people, about 70 percent of its eligible adult population, making it the fifth state in the country to reach that benchmark. In September 2021, McKee signed legislation that reclassified simple possession of small amounts of certain controlled substances as a misdemeanor rather than a felony, signing the bill at the offices of Project Weber/RENEW.
Democratic Era (2021–Present)
On February 22, 2022, McKee announced that he was running for a full four-year term as governor. He won the September 13 Democratic primary against four challengers in a close race, then defeated Republican nominee Ashley Kalus in the general election. He was sworn in for a full term at the start of 2023, completing the transition from a governor who had ascended through succession to one chosen directly by voters.
McKee has continued to focus on public health, education, and public safety. During the pandemic he lifted the state mask mandate in February 2022 as infection rates fell, while also navigating the rise of the Delta variant earlier in his tenure. On policy, he has said he supports gun control and would back an assault weapons ban. Polling during his term has shown his approval rating dropping, making him one of the nation’s least popular governors as he has continued to govern.
Notable Events and Milestones
McKee’s tenure includes several defining moments: his March 2, 2021, swearing-in as the 76th governor of Rhode Island after Gina Raimondo’s confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Rhode Island becoming the fifth state to fully vaccinate 70 percent of its eligible adult population against COVID-19, his signing of the 2021 law reclassifying small-scale drug possession as a misdemeanor, and his 2022 election victory for a full term as governor.
Dan McKee Career Wins
Across his career in Rhode Island politics, Daniel J. McKee has compiled a steady record of electoral wins at the local and statewide level. He won six terms as mayor of Cumberland, two terms as lieutenant governor, and a primary and general election victory for governor in 2022, in addition to his earlier service on the Cumberland Town Council.
Statewide Election Highlights
McKee first won statewide office in 2014, when he was elected lieutenant governor of Rhode Island with 54.3 percent of the vote over Republican Catherine Terry Taylor. He returned to the statewide ballot in 2018 and won reelection as lieutenant governor. In 2022, he won the Democratic primary against four challengers and then defeated Republican nominee Ashley Kalus in the general election, securing a full four-year term as governor.
Local Election Wins
McKee’s longest winning streak came in Cumberland, where he served six terms as mayor across two stretches, from 2000 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2014. Before that, he won a seat on the Cumberland Town Council in 1992 and served through 1998, building the local coalition that supported his later campaigns for lieutenant governor and governor.
Dan McKee Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
McKee comes from a Cumberland family with deep roots in the local business community. He was an officer of McKee Brothers, the heating, air conditioning, and home heating oil delivery business his grandfather founded, and he also ran a health and fitness business for more than 30 years. His long involvement with the Boys and Girls Club of Cumberland-Lincoln, including service as past president of its executive board, has been a family-style commitment that has overlapped with his public life.
Personal Life
McKee is married to Susan McGill. The couple has been part of his life through his years on the Cumberland Town Council, his tenure as mayor, his time as lieutenant governor, and his time in the governor’s office. McKee’s personal and family life has remained closely tied to Cumberland and the surrounding Rhode Island community where he grew up and built his political career.