U.S. Senate, Rhode Island · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in the Rhode Island U.S. Senate race?
Jack Reed has the strongest record in the Rhode Island U.S. Senate race. Jack Reed scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Jack Reed's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Michael Bahry (6 of 15 criteria) and Raymond McKay (7 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Independent
Michael Bahry
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Republican
Raymond McKay
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Jack Reed
61 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 56
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Michael Bahry
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Raymond McKay
- On the record2014-06
After a federal judge upheld a Warwick ordinance barring classified city employees from running for office, McKay, a city network administrator planning a Senate run, resigned from the Warwick Republican committee.
Source: Warwick Post, June 13, 2014
Jack Reed
- On the record2021-02-03
Chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee from February 2021 to January 2025 and is now its ranking member.
Sources: Wikipedia, Jack Reed, GovTrack, committee membership
- On the record2002-10-11
Voted against the Iraq war authorization, which Democratic Leader Tom Daschle supported.
Source: GovTrack, Senate Vote 237 (2002)
- Credit2025-09-05
His Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, limiting mortgage 'trigger lead' sales, was enacted through a House companion signed Sept. 5, 2025.
- Credit2025-04-21
Took constituent questions for 105 minutes with Sen. Whitehouse and Rep. Amo at a League of Women Voters town hall in Portsmouth attended by more than 500 people.
Source: East Bay RI, April 22, 2025
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Michael Bahry. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Raymond McKay. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 20, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Jack Reed. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 20, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or Senate Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Michael Bahry. No public record found.
Raymond McKay. No public record found.
Jack Reed. In October 2002 voted against the Iraq war authorization that Majority Leader Tom Daschle supported. No break with his party's leaders within the last 10 years documented, so E18 caps this at 2.
Source: GovTrack, Senate Vote 237 (2002)
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Michael Bahry. No public record found.
Raymond McKay. No public record found.
Jack Reed. Joined Sen. Whitehouse and Rep. Amo at an April 2025 League of Women Voters town hall in Portsmouth attended by more than 500 people. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Source: East Bay RI, April 22, 2025
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Michael Bahry. No public record found.
Raymond McKay. No public record found.
Jack Reed. Army officer, state senator (1985 to 1991), U.S. representative (1991 to 1997) and senator since 1997; chaired Armed Services from 2021 to 2025. No censure or Senate Ethics finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jack Reed
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Michael Bahry. No public record found.
Raymond McKay. Served in the U.S. Army from 1981 to 1992, reaching sergeant. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Raymond McKay, WPRI 12 candidate survey, Aug. 9, 2024
Jack Reed. Voted Nay on the January 2005 Ohio objection and on both January 2021 objections (Arizona, Pennsylvania). No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: GovTrack, Senate Vote 1 (2005), GovTrack, Senate Vote 1 (2021), GovTrack, Senate Vote 2 (2021)
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Michael Bahry. Ran a commercial construction company, founded the Providence nonprofit Fifty-Three: Five in 2014, and teaches theology at Salve Regina University. Has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Michael Bahry
Raymond McKay. Worked 26 years as network and telecommunications manager for the City of Warwick after 11 years in the Army; led the Rhode Island Republican Assembly for 10 years. Has not held elected office.
Jack Reed. U.S. senator since January 1997, seeking a sixth term; earlier six years in the House and six in the state Senate.
Source: GovTrack, Jack Reed
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Michael Bahry. Publishes a platform on peace, term limits, religious liberty and economic justice in general terms.
Source: Campaign site
Raymond McKay. Campaign platform, 'Right Direction Right Now,' states priorities in general terms; his 2024 survey named inflation and cost of living as the top issue.
Sources: Campaign site, WPRI 12 candidate survey, Aug. 9, 2024
Jack Reed. Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and of the Appropriations subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government; chaired Armed Services from 2021 to 2025.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Wikipedia, Jack Reed
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Michael Bahry. Publishes a written platform and campaign videos. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, Ballotpedia, Michael Bahry
Raymond McKay. Publishes a campaign platform and answered WPRI's and Ballotpedia's surveys in his 2024 run; has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Source: Ballotpedia, Raymond McKay
Jack Reed. Offers a newsletter and took questions at an open 2025 town hall. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Senate office site, Contact, Ballotpedia, Jack Reed
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Michael Bahry. Native Rhode Islander from East Providence who has run a Providence nonprofit since 2014. FEC shows no itemized individual contributions; receipts are a $5,050 candidate loan.
Source: Campaign site
Raymond McKay. Born in Providence and lives in Warwick; describes himself as a lifelong Rhode Islander. FEC by-state totals show about 13 percent of itemized individual contributions from Rhode Island.
Jack Reed. Born in Providence; his FEC record lists Cranston. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 27 percent of itemized individual contributions from Rhode Island.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jack Reed, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Michael Bahry. Founded and runs a nonprofit and ran a commercial construction company; FEC reports on file with no fine.
Source: Campaign site
Raymond McKay. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 20, 2026; no FEC administrative fine found.
Source: FEC candidate page
Jack Reed. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 20, 2026, with no debts reported. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Michael Bahry. No public record found.
Raymond McKay. No public record found.
Jack Reed. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.684 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.521, below expectations; raised to 2 under E14 because his Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act provisions were enacted Sept. 5, 2025.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking Senate dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, S. 1467 (119th Congress)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Michael Bahry. No public record found.
Raymond McKay. No public record found.
Jack Reed. Missed 49 of 10,097 roll call votes, 0.5 percent, from January 1991 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Michael Bahry. No public record found.
Raymond McKay. No public record found.
Jack Reed. Runs state offices in Cranston and Providence and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Source: Senate office site, Contact
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Michael Bahry. No public record found.
Raymond McKay. No public record found.
Jack Reed. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.80941 in the 2023 Senate scores (118th Congress, first session), ranked 78, in the bottom quarter of the chamber.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, Senate Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Michael Bahry. No public record found.
Raymond McKay. No public record found.
Jack Reed. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in the Rhode Island U.S. Senate race?
Jack Reed has the strongest record in the Rhode Island U.S. Senate race. Jack Reed scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Jack Reed's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Michael Bahry (6 of 15 criteria) and Raymond McKay (7 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in the Rhode Island U.S. Senate race in 2026?
Michael Bahry (Independent), Raymond McKay (Republican), Jack Reed (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Michael Bahry a good candidate for U.S. Senate?
Michael Bahry has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Raymond McKay a good candidate for U.S. Senate?
Raymond McKay has public evidence on 7 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Jack Reed a good candidate for U.S. Senate?
Jack Reed scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Rhode Island race scored, and the Rhode Island 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.