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For General Release
June 11, 2026
Contact: media@mckayforsenate.com
RAY MCKAY OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES HIS RACE FOR U.S. SENATE
VS SENATOR JACK REED
Warwick, RI ~ On June 9th, with friends and well-wishers on hand in East Providence, Republican Raymond T McKay formally announced his candidacy for the United States Senate challenging Rhode Island's 30-year Washington Politician, Jack Reed.
McKay, who is a current resident of Warwick, is a lifelong resident of Rhode Island, born and raised in Providence. He is the father and stepfather of four and grandfather to thirteen. He is an 11-year army veteran, and a 26-year retiree from the City of Warwick, serving as its network and telecommunications manager and administrator.
McKay sites the reason for his run is that Rhode Island’s senior senator no longer represents all Rhode Islanders, but rather a political narrative that is out of touch with hard working Rhode Islanders, our Senior Citizens, and Rhode Island families. This campaign is about Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness for all Rhode Islanders, not just the one's politically connected.
Our Senior Citizens have paid into Social Security all their lives, and since 2009, the fund has been running a deficit that has been ignored by the U.S. Senate and continued to be taxed by Rhode Island Democrat leaders. What our Seniors are told is that Republicans want to take away social security. Those Democrat partisan lies end with me. My goal is to collaborate with all members of congress to stabilize Social Security within two years and relieve our Senior Citizens of the constant worry about their next check.
Rhode Islanders need to know Reed is no friend to Seniors, union workers, nor our hospitality industry, truly becoming a 30-year Washington narrative politician who voted against No Tax on Tips, against No Tax on Overtime, and against the Social Security $6,000 Tax Break for Seniors in July 2025.
McKay stated “Let us be clear that I stand with Rhode Island Seniors and our workers, both union and non-union, to earn a decent wage and not be overly taxed by the federal government, or the State government. As your next Senator, not only will I call out bad tax policies and horrendous spending in Washington, but I will also keep an eye on and speak out about the Rhode Island General Assembly, along with Cities and towns, as they spend the Rhode Island taxpayer into poverty and expect Washington to keep funding them. This is what leadership is all about.”
Reed is no friend to women in the military as he does not stand for common sense policies. He proved this by stopping Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-NY) Military Sexual Assault Bill in 2021 that had the support of 66 U.S. Senators, including Republican support of Senator Ted Cruz and Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Since 2011, Reed has shown he is no friend to the Rhode Island fishermen and women and the ocean-based tourism industry by treating Narragansett Bay and our beautiful east coast as a classroom experiment for a political Green Energy narrative that has rewarded a few well-connected folks. This extremist / alarmist narrative has put a heavy financial burden on the Rhode Island electric rate payer with high energy costs. The installation of these wind factories has destroyed part of the eco-system of Coxes Ledge with the possible long-term irrevocable maritime spawning disasters, killed maritime sea life, disrupted the ability of the fishing industry to earn its living, and robbed future generations of the once beautiful ocean view that is now blighted with windmills that sometimes produce electricity. McKay states he believes we need to be good stewards of our planet and must be wise in our choices of power development and deployment. McKay fully supports the increased investment in and deployment of nuclear power that will support our current needs and the expansion of data centers combined with the growth of AI. McKay also supports the continued use of clean burning fossil fuel, whether it be gas or coal. McKay states there can be a place for Green Energy, but not at the cost of deforestation or claiming farmland. There is enough food price pressure on Rhode Islanders and Americans without decreasing the production capacity of the American farmer.
In March of 2025, Reed showed again that he is no friend to women by siding with biological males to compete with Rhode Island’s daughters, wives, and moms. He is also in favor of these individuals who wish to compete as a female to have access to the same dressing rooms and bathrooms that originally born females have access to. McKay states he fully supports biological women only in women sports.
For Rhode Island’s 2A community Reed has consistently shown that he is no friend by voting for various weapons ban legislation and laws, as well as increasing the volatile narrative about assault rifles now being rebranded weapons of war. As a constitutional conservative, McKay fully supports the Second Amendment and thinks the United States as a whole, needs to look towards strengthening support of the mental health community.
As for Rhode Island families, Reed has opposed parental rights when it comes to one’s children, openly supporting a school‑driven framework where the parent has no “veto power” as to what the child is exposed to by another adult. He supports access to books that have age-inappropriate material, mentioning literacy concerns, rather than focusing on educating the students to become productive members of society. McKay fully supports the right of parents to make educational decisions for their children.
In closing, McKay stated “There are many issues to address in Washington as it is out of control and has forgotten that the people control the government, not the government controls the people. This is why there needs to be term limits and accountability as to where every tax dollar and deficit spending goes. The fraud that America sees today must end, and I will be part of the driving force to make Washington more accountable to Rhode Islanders and all Americans".
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