NEW: Brown Poll Says Raimondo Leads Taveras in Democratic Primary
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
A new statewide poll released today by Brown University shows that State Treasurer Gina Raimondo leads Providence Mayor Angel Taveras in a potential Democratic gubernatorial primary.
The Democratic gubernatorial primary
Brown University researchers found that among Rhode Island voters who are likely to vote in the Democratic primary for governor, 42.0 percent would choose Raimondo and 33.6 percent would choose Taveras. The poll also concluded that nearly a quarter of likely Democratic primary voters are undecided.
Among Rhode Island voters likely to vote in the Democratic primary for governor, Raimondo leads regardless of party affiliation or gender. Raimondo’s strongest support is among Independents, with 45.7 percent choosing Raimondo compared with 31.2 percent for Taveras. Raimondo has a thin margin — 40.5 percent to Taveras’s 38.7 percent — among Democrats. Raimondo has strong support among men, 44.8 percent, compared with Taveras’s 31.8 percent. Women also support Raimondo (39.6 percent) over Taveras (35.1 percent).
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Registered voters were asked to consider several potential scenarios for the 2014 general election for governor. In a matchup between Taveras and Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, 41.5 percent of Rhode Island voters say they would vote for Taveras, 32.9 percent for Fung, with 25.6 percent undecided. In a potential race between Raimondo and Fung, Raimondo has a slight lead, 37.6 percent, to Fung’s 35.9 percent, with 26.5 percent undecided.
When asked about a potential general election for governor including Kenneth Block, Fung, Raimondo, and Taveras, Raimondo leads with 27.3 percent, while 20.7 percent of voters say they would vote for Taveras, 19.0 percent for Fung, and 9.0 percent for Block. When considering this potential field of candidates, nearly a quarter of voters (24.0 percent) are undecided.
Approval ratings
Taveras’ approval rating stands at 63.9 percent (vs. 65.6 percent a year ago). Raimondo has an approval rating of 54.2 percent (vs. 58.7 percent). Gov. Lincoln Chafee has an approval rating of 23.0 percent (vs. 28.5 percent). Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts has a 32.9 percent approval rating (vs. 37.5 percent).
Among national officials, President Barack Obama’s approval rating declined the most significantly amongst Rhode Islander — to 41.4 percent — down from 53.7 percent in October 2012. Sen. Jack Reed has an approval rating of 51.6 percent (down from 57.5 percent a year ago). Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse has a 39.4 percent approval rating (vs. 45.4 percent in October 2012). Rep. David Cicilline has a 26.6 percent approval rating (vs. 29.7 percent) and Rep. Jim Langevin has an approval rating of 38.7 percent (vs. 41.0 percent).
The economy
Just 43.6 percent of Rhode Island voters approve of how Obama is handling the economy, down from 55.2 percent a year ago. Voters continue to think the state’s economy is in rough shape, with 89.8 percent judging the local economy not so good or poor. A majority of voters (62.5 percent) say that Rhode Island is on the wrong track, while 20.9 percent say they think Rhode Island is going in the right direction.
Methodology
Researchers at the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions and the John Hazen White Public Opinion Laboratory at Brown University surveyed a random sample of 638 Rhode Island voters Oct. 2–5, 2013. The poll has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent. The sample of likely Democratic primary voters was 433 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent.
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