A graduate of the La Salle Academy and Providence College, Fogarty received a master's degree in public administration from the University of Rhode Island.
[2] He was running against incumbent Republican governor Donald Carcieri, as Fogarty was barred from seeking re-election in 2006 due to term limits.
His campaign issues included health care, small businesses, university tuition fees and speaking against corruption and the extension of gambling locally.
Fogarty was appointed by Governor Lincoln Chafee in January 2011 as the director for the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.
In 2015, Fogarty was appointed by Governor Gina Raimondo as director of the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs.