RI Patch Candidate Profile: Ken Block For Governor

The 2026 election is heating up in Rhode Island and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Eyes are primarily focused on the gubernatorial election, which will decide who will succeed outgoing incumbent Dan McKee.

Ken Block, a Barrington resident, is one of those candidates.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Here are Block's answers to those questions.

Age

61

Position Sought

Governor

Party Affiliation

Independent

Family

Wife Jennifer and children Sam and Anna

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Dartmouth College

Occupation

Software Engineer, Owner of Simpatico Software Systems, Inc.

Previous or Current Elected Office

None

Campaign Website

blockforgovernor.com

Why are you seeking elected office?

I entered the race for RI Governor this year because RI has many deep-rooted problems that go back decades. No governor has tackled them. None of this year's gubernatorial candidates talked about them. I realized that this year, with the outrage regarding the Washington Bridge failure and a national unhappiness with the 2 major political parties, I had a unique opportunity to practice my flavor of politics and win. I am a committed centrist who is dedicated to solving problems — which is something I do all day long in my profession. Rhode Island is a target-rich environment.

Plans for single biggest issue in RI

Our single most pressing problem? Educational outcomes. In many of our urban school districts (and some suburban ones), our educational outcomes are poor, with far too many students "graduating" with the academic skills of grammar school students. In Providence, only a bit more than 30% of high school seniors graduate with the expected academic achievement of a high school senior. When students graduate with massive skills gaps, they struggle as adults. Poverty and poor educational outcomes are tightly interwoven. Around 30% of our population is on Medicaid, and Medicaid is one-third of our budget. We are spending around $5 billion on Medicaid in this budget. We must tackle our educational challenges. No magic bullet solves these problems. We have 36 public school districts, which means that we have 36 different sets of problems to address. I will bring the stakeholders together in each district — parents, guardians, students, teachers, administration, the RI Department of Education, and my office. We will discuss the problems and reach consensus on the solutions. Many blue states have addressed the educational issues we face today. We don't have to reinvent the wheel. We need a governor who is willing to push for a solution. I will be that Governor.

Critical Candidate Differences

What's the difference between my opponent and me? As a small business owner, I solve problems professionally. I help my clients deliver complex computer systems worldwide. I have helped customers rethink their global business by identifying operational issues and recommending changes that improve product delivery and customer satisfaction. That is vastly different from my opponent, whose managerial experience largely involved making the corporations she managed become more profitable. RI has many operational problems within our government. RI has suffered from a political status quo for decades. We somehow manage to elect the same kind of governor, and it hasn't worked out well. Parties don't fix problems, and RI has learned that the hard way via the failed Washington Bridge. I am not a party politician. I am not compromised by making deals with special interests. I am the farthest thing there is from our current political status quo.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

The RI Department of Transportation needs a quick evaluation, managerial changes, and clear priorities. RI procures, rolls out, and manages large-scale technology projects poorly. Very poorly. This is my area of expertise. We will make the changes necessary to do these things well. I am very worried about the financial stability of some of our cities and towns, and will be carefully monitoring them. We will also tackle a huge number of additional issues at the same time.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Many of Rhode Island's problems have been solved by other states. We can address most of them. The problem we've faced is Governors who have lacked political courage. I do not share that problem!