View source for Governor of Rhode Island

{{Short description|Head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island}}
{{For|a list|List of governors of Rhode Island}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Governor
| body = <br />the State of Rhode Island
| insignia = Seal of the Governor of Rhode Island.svg
| insigniasize = 110px
| insigniacaption = [[Seal of Rhode Island#Government seals|Seal of the governor]]
| insigniaalt = Seal of the governor
| flag = Flag of the Governor of Rhode Island.svg
| flagalt = Flag of the governor
| flagcaption = [[Flag of Rhode Island#Flag of the governor|Flag of the governor]]
| image = File:RI_Governor_Daniel_McKee.jpg
| alt = Portrait
| incumbent = [[Dan McKee]]
| incumbentsince = March 2, 2021
| department = [[Government of Rhode Island]]
| style = {{ublist|[[Governor]]<br />(informal)|[[The Honourable#United States of America|The Honorable]]<br />(formal)}}
| type = [[Head of state]]<br />[[Head of government]]
| member_of = [[Government of Rhode Island#Departments and agencies|Cabinet]]
| residence = None official
| seat = [[Rhode Island State House|State House]], [[Providence, Rhode Island]]
| nominator = [[Partisan primary|Primary election]]
| appointer = [[Direct election|Popular vote]]
| termlength = Four years; renewable once consecutively
| constituting_instrument = [[Constitution of Rhode Island]]
| formation = [[List of colonial governors of Rhode Island|Original form]]:<br />June 1636<br />Current form:<br />	November 1775
| succession = [[Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Rhode Island|Line of succession]]
| deputy = [[List of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island|Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island]]
| salary = $145,754.96 (2020)<ref>{{cite web | title=State of RI Payroll Tranparency Portal | url=http://www.transparency.ri.gov/payroll | publisher=State of Rhode Island | access-date=October 9, 2020 }}</ref>
| website = {{Official_website}}
| footnotes = 
}}

The '''governor of Rhode Island''' is the [[head of government]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Rhode Island]] and serves as [[commander-in-chief]] of the state's [[Rhode Island Army National Guard|Army National Guard]] and [[Rhode Island Air National Guard|Air National Guard]]. The current [[governor]] is [[Dan McKee]], a member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. In their capacity as commander of the national guard, the governor of Rhode Island also has the title of [[captain general]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/RiConstitution/C09.html |title=Constitution of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |access-date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818005134/http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/RiConstitution/C09.html |archive-date=18 August 2011 |work=[[State of Rhode Island]] General Assembly |url-status=dead }}</ref> Rhode Island is one of the few states that currently does not have a [[List of governors' residences in the United States|governor's mansion]] or other [[official residence]].

==Qualifications==
The following are the requirements to be elected Governor of Rhode Island:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sos.ri.gov/assets/downloads/documents/Run-for-Office-Guide-2018.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920001905/https://www.sos.ri.gov/assets/downloads/documents/Run-for-Office-Guide-2018.pdf|url-status=dead |title=2018 Rhode Island guide for candidates |archivedate=September 20, 2020|website=www.sos.ri.gov}}</ref>
*Be at least eighteen years of age
*Be a resident of the State of Rhode Island for at least thirty days
*Be a registered voter in Rhode Island

==Constitutional authority and responsibilities==
Section I, Article IX<ref>{{Cite web |title=State of Rhode Island General Assembly |url=http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/riconstitution/Pages/C09.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=2018-11-12 |archive-date=2018-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112223402/http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/riconstitution/Pages/C09.aspx }}</ref> of the [[Rhode Island Constitution]] reads,

{{blockquote|1=Power vested in governor. – The chief executive power of this state shall be vested in a governor, who, together with a lieutenant governor, shall be elected by the people.}}

The Governor of Rhode Island is elected every four years and is limited to two consecutive terms. As the chief executive of the [[Government of Rhode Island]], the governor is supported by a number of elected general officers and appointed directors of state agencies.

Responsibilities granted to the governor by the Rhode Island Constitution include the position of commander-in-chief of all components of the [[Rhode Island National Guard]], so long as they remain un-federalized by the [[president of the United States]], and the responsibility to submit the annual state budget to the [[Rhode Island General Assembly]].

The governor also has the power to grant pardons and veto bills, resolutions and votes subject to a two-thirds override. 
 
== Party affiliation ==
{| class=wikitable style="margin:0 0 0.5em 1em;"
|+Number of governors of Rhode Island by party affiliation<ref>Table does not include governors from the colonial period, when there were no organized parties in Rhode Island, and governors were generally appointed rather than elected. It also does not include acting governors.</ref>
!Party 
!Governors
|- {{party shading/Republican}}
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|align=right|32
|- {{party shading/Democratic}}
|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|align=right|22
|- {{party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
|[[Democratic-Republican Party|Democratic-Republican]]
|align=right|4
|- {{Party shading/Independent}}
|[[Independent (politician)|Independent]]
|align=right|4
|- {{party shading/Whig}}
|[[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]]
|align=right|4
|- style="background:#FFBBFF"
|[[Country Party (Rhode Island)|Country]]
|align=right|3
|- {{Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian}}
|[[Law and Order Party of Rhode Island|Law and Order]]
|align=right|2
|- {{Party shading/Prohibition}}
|[[Dorr Rebellion]]
|align=right|1
|- {{party shading/Federalist}}
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|align=right|1
|- {{Party shading/Know-Nothing}}
|[[Know Nothing]]
|align=right|1
|- {{Party shading/Silver}}
|Rhode Island Party
|align=right|1
|}

== Colonial Rhode Island, 1640–1775 ==
{{Further|List of colonial governors of Rhode Island}}

==Timeline==
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
| <strong>Timeline of Rhode Island governors</strong>
|-
|
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== See also ==
{{Portal|Rhode Island}}

* [[Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://catalog.sos.ri.gov/repositories/2/resources/5 Office of the Governor Executive Orders] from the Rhode Island State Archives
*[https://catalog.sos.ri.gov/repositories/2/archival_objects/945 State Photographer Alex Tavares photographs] from the Rhode Island State Archives

{{Governors of Rhode Island}}
{{US Chief Executives}}
{{Rhode Island statewide elected officials}}
{{United States governors' residences}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhode Island, List of Governors of}}
[[Category:Governor of Rhode Island|*]]
[[Category:Lists of Rhode Island politicians|Governors]]
[[Category:State constitutional officers of Rhode Island|Governor]]
[[Category:1775 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies]]