NEW: Taveras’ Poll Shows Considerable Lead Over Raimondo
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
A new poll commissioned and released today by Providence Mayor Angel Taveras shows the Democrat leading State Treasurer Gina Raimondo 49% to 30% in a hypothetical gubernatorial primary. The poll, which surveyed 400 likely Democratic voters, was conducted by Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group. It also showed that 21% of voters are undecided.
“Our survey findings show that Providence Mayor Angel Taveras is extremely well-regarded by Rhode Island Democrats, and that he would enter a potential primary election for governor with a healthy lead over State Treasurer Gina Raimondo,” wrote Frederick Yang in a memo released today by Taveras' finance director Peter Baptista.
Explanations for Taveras’ Lead
According to the survey, Taveras is extremely well-regarded on a personal level. Both likely Democratic candidates enjoy high name recognition (Taveras—92% and Raimondo—81%), but Mayor Taveras has much higher positives (and significantly lower negatives).
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNot surprisingly, Taveras’ is extremely well-regarded in Providence, where he draws a five-to-one positive rating. Additionally, Taveras’ popularity extends well beyond Providence. In fact, he maintains ratings of 67% positive and just 4% negative outside of the City.
The poll also shows that Taveras holds double-digit leads among men and women.
Second, Taveras has a strong image on the two key dynamics of (A) being in touch with average families, AND (B) being an effective leader. He also garners stronger positive feelings scores than Raimondo does.
The memo closed with the following remark:
“We are pleased with where Mayor Taveras would begin a gubernatorial campaign, especially with regard to his strong personal image and his credibility as an effective leader among a broad cross section of Rhode Island Democrats. We understand that a lot can happen in the year leading up to the September 9, 2014 primary (i.e., Governor Chafee’s recent and surprising decision), and that the Taveras campaign has a considerable amount of work ahead to solidify his initial advantage. However, we are confident that with an aggressive, resourced, and tightly managed campaign operation, Angel Taveras stands an excellent chance of prevailing in the Democratic primary for governor.”
The Taveras campaign refused to release the full poll.
Fundraising
Although Taveras may hold a sizable lead thus far according to today’s poll, Raimondo has banked considerably more money than him. As of June 30 (the latest financial filing date), Raimondo has $2,063,548.54 cash on hand, compared to $692,590.12 for Taveras.
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