Political heavyweights bow out of race for Cicilline's seat. Here's who is running instead

The race to replace David Cicilline in Congress was blown wide open Monday after former CVS executive Helena Foulkes passed on making a 1st Congressional District run and state Sen. Sandra Cano jumped into the fray.

Foulkes, whose wealth and strong showing in last year's gubernatorial election would have made her one of the favorites, said in a letter to supporters Monday morning that she had concluded she could make a "bigger impact in the long run by working with members of our community on local issues here at home."

"From our housing crisis to our struggling public schools to the test of the new economy, the challenges facing our state are real and immediate. I want to help fix them here," Foulkes wrote.

"Since last year’s race, I have returned to several private and public sector responsibilities and have spent time with community leaders across the state, learning and giving counsel."

Foulkes, who spent $4.6 million in the Democratic primary for governor last year and lost to incumbent Dan McKee by 3 points, is widely expected to run for governor again in 2026.

Foulkes' decision to bow out of the Congressional race comes just three days after another potential heavyweight who had been "seriously considering" the 1st District, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, announced he would not run.

More:Big RI names circling Cicilline's exit; here's who's staking out a possible run

More:Sabina Matos announces run for 1st Congressional District seat. What to know.

Who is running for the seat?

Foulkes and Shekarchi's departure from the mix is likely to leave space for more candidates to get in and Cano Monday became the second major Democrat to announce a run after Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos jumped in exactly a week ago.

“Our community needs someone who knows what it is like to face the challenges that so many of our neighbors face on a daily basis; someone with the life experience and Democratic values to fight for working families across our state,” Cano said in a news release.

Cano, a 39-year Pawtucket resident, appeared to take aim at Matos immediately, pointing out that she "is the first announced candidate who actually resides in congressional district 1," she said in her release.

More:With Cicilline stepping down, who might run for RI's 1st Congressional District seat?

“I have worked to ensure that our children get the quality education they deserve and teachers getrecognized as the pillar to their success," she said. "I have stood on the front lines with advocates and legislative champions to protect the right to abortion by passing the Reproductive Privacy Act."

Born in Colombia, Cano served on the Pawtucket City Council before being elected to the Senate in a special election in 2018 and later being named chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.

She is also Pawtucket's director of economic development and is engaged to state General Treasurer James Diossa.

Former GOP Congressional candidate Allen Waters has also said he is running in the Democratic primary.

Speculation about Foulkes running for Congress increased earlier this winter after her campaign said she was moving back to the East Side of Providence − which is in the 1st District − from Narragansett.

Cano is not expected to be the last candidate to get into the race.

Close to a dozen potential candidates are still considering whether to run and the fact that Shekarchi and Foulkes are not in the field could encourage some to make the plunge.

They include Cano's boss in Pawtucket, Mayor Donald Grebien, Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Dawn Euer of Newport.

In Jamestown, lawyer, investor and former Joseph Kennedy II staffer Donald Carlson said Friday he is considering running. Democratic National Committeewoman, Democratic donor and Jamestown resident Elizabeth Beretta-Perik is also reportedly considering a run, but could not be reached for comment.

In Washington, White House senior adviser Gabe Amo, a former aid to then-Gov. Gina Raimondo, has not ruled out running, but declined to comment Monday.

North Providence Town Council President Dino Autiello is considering a run, as is Providence City Council member John Goncalves.

Cano, Matos and most of the candidates considering running for Congress fall somewhere between the moderate to liberal wing of the Democratic party, meaning there is a potential opportunity for a left or progressive candidate in the primary field.

Former Providence City Council member David Segal came in second in last year's Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District running from the left.

"I'm focused on my day job at the moment, hoping there is a viable candidate who has a proven track record of standing up for everyday people, even when that means taking on corporate special interests and political corruption," Segal texted when asked if he was considering a run to replace Cicilline.

The more crowded the primary, the fewer voters the winner is likely to need to emerge victorious, especially in a low turnout special election for which a date has not yet been set.

On the Republican side, Aaron Guckian, who lost to Matos in last year's campaign for lieutenant governor, is mulling a run and will decide in "weeks if not days.

"Certain dominoes are falling like I anticipated," he said over the phone, referring to the Foulkes and Shekarchi decisions. "I didn't want to think about it if Helena was going to run. With her money it would be a fool's errand and the same thing with Joe Shekarchi. It would be a done deal."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Helena Foulkes will not run for RI's open Congress seat