PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The race between Democratic Gov. Dan McKee and his Republican challenger Ashley Kalus grew more acrimonious on Tuesday, as the incumbent used a colorful metaphor to criticize his rival for releasing a series of TV ads attacking him.
“She is crapping all over the state of Rhode Island,” McKee told The Boston Globe during an on-camera interview Tuesday.
“She’s a seagull manager,” the governor explained. “You know what seagull management is? It’s when you fly and crap all over everyone you fly over.”
(The website Urban Dictionary defines “seagull manager” similarly: “A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.”)
McKee’s remark came in response to Kalus’ latest TV ad, calling him a “corrupt career politician” and ticking off a number of controversies — including the ongoing FBI investigation into the ILO contract that she has made a focus of her criticism. The ad also suggested McKee should “lawyer up.”
When asked later Tuesday about McKee’s “seagull” comment, Kalus told 12 News he “obviously has an issue with strong women.”
She went on to cite McKee’s strained relationships with both former Gov. Gina Raimondo and former Health Department Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, as well as his public refusal to accept a concession call from Democratic primary challenger Helena Foulkes earlier this month.
“If he had a record he could run on, he would, but instead he is resorting to personal attacks,” Kalus said. “The question for everyone is this — Is this the kind of governor you want?”
Earlier in the day, the Kalus campaign had been forced to quickly withdraw and recut its new attack ad to correct a mispronunciation of “Pawtucket” by the commercial’s narrator.
“If it wasn’t obvious before, it is now — Ashley Kalus is not a Rhode Islander and does not know Rhode Island,” Brexton Isaacs, McKee’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “But that’s not surprising, since she just moved here while still claiming tax exemptions in Illinois, and until recently was registered to vote in Florida.”
Of the Pawtucket pronunciation, Isaacs added, “It wasn’t until actual Rhode Islanders pointed out the error that her campaign seemed to notice.”
Kalus has acknowledged she lived in Illinois and Florida before moving to Newport last year after the McKee administration awarded her company a COVID-19 testing contract. She registered to vote in Rhode Island early this year.
McKee and Kalus are scheduled to meet for their first televised debate live on WPRI 12 on Oct. 11.
