RI State Report: Big Bucks For Raimondo + Unionization Battle

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Anthony Faccenda, GoLocalProv News Contributor

 

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This week’s State Report centers on the 2014 gubernatorial showdown. Although the election is over a year away, the race heated up this week due to a new Brown University poll that found Treasurer Gina Raimondo leading Mayor Angel Taveras, and a report that Raimondo may have posted record-breaking fundraising numbers last quarter.

Aside from election news, we’ll take a look at the battle over unionization in Rhode Island; get an update on the continuing federal government shutdown from U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse; and recap the Woonsocket primary election.

Election 2014 Heats Up

The 2014 general election may be more than a year away, but the race for governor took an interesting turn this week with the release of a new Brown University poll and new financial figures.

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Polling

On Wednesday, Brown University released a new statewide poll showing that State Treasurer Gina Raimondo leads Providence Mayor Angel Taveras in a potential 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).

Aside from illustrating a positive trend for Raimondo, the poll was also encouraging for Cranston Mayor Allan Fung. In fact, the poll showed him trailing Providence Mayor Angel Taveras by about 7 percentage points in a hypothetical matchup, and behind General Treasurer Gina Raimondo by less than 2 percentage points.

"Though Mayor Fung is still in the process of exploring a potential run for governor, the Brown poll shows he is in a very strong position for being 14 months out," Patrick Sweeney, a consultant for Fung, told GoLocal. "It is abundantly clear that the people of Rhode Island believe that we are going in the wrong direction due to our poor economy conditions and opportunities. We need a proven leader with the executive experience to lead Rhode Island into better times. Given Rhode Island's history of electing Republican governors, there is no question that when people get to know Mayor Fung, learn the great things he has done for Cranston, and listen to his vision for RI, our numbers will strengthen."

Fundraising

On Friday, GoLocal learned that likely 2014 gubernatorial candidate Gina Raimondo posted a record-breaking third quarter of fundraising in the financial period ending Sept. 30.

According to members of Raimondo’s team, the State Treasurer raised over $400,000 last quarter, which began on July 1 and ended Sept. 30.

Although the Raimondo camp has not released the exact figures yet, an estimate of $400,000 would bring Raimondo total cash on hand to more than $2.46 million, which would be the most money a candidate running for state office in Rhode Island has ever finished a three-month period with.

Furthermore, Raimondo would become the first candidate running for statewide office to raise over $400,000 in a single three-month period. The Treasurer finished the last fundraising period (April 1 through June 30) with 2,063,548 on hand after raising $399,420.

To put Raimondo’s fundraising in perspective, Frank Caprio—who was the gubernatorial fundraising leader in 2010—posted his best quarterly period from April 1 through June 30, 2010 when he raised $320,789. After expenses, that brought his campaign total to $1,742,505.

Although Raimondo’s fundraising tally is record-setting on a state level, U.S. Senator Jack Reed currently has more money in his re-election war chest. In fact, Reed—who is seeking his fourth term—raised more than $704,411 during the three-month period ending June 30, which, after expenses, brought his fundraising total to $2,566,703.

Though less than Raimondo's estimated total, Fung released a solid third quarter financial report on Thursday showing that the likely gubernatorial candidate raised roughly $102,000 in the last quarter.

"The broad financial support all across Rhode Island is a testament to the Mayor's hard work, dedication, and leadership in the city of Cranston" said Jim Donahue, Finance Chairman for the Committee for Allan Fung.

After three quarters of fundraising, Fung has raised over a quarter of a million dollars.

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