The Scoop: AG Candidate Knight Lands 6 Endorsements, New UMASS Poll

The Scoop: AG Candidate Knight Lands 6 Endorsements, New UMASS Poll

On Thursday, the campaign for Democratic candidate for Attorney General Jason Knight announced that six members of the House of Representatives were endorsing his candidacy.

The six are Deputy Majority Leader Justine Caldwell, Representative Leonela Felix, Representative Jennifer Boylan, Representative June Speakman, Chairwoman Susan R. Donovan, and Representative Terri Cortvriend.

Knight said about the support, “I am proud to have earned the support of these six distinguished representatives who are my friends and colleagues.  We have worked closely together on issues that matter to the people of Rhode Island, from passing the assault weapons ban to codifying Roe v. Wade into state law.  These lawmakers understand that the Attorney General is the first line of defense to keep Rhode Islanders safe and I am honored to have their endorsements.”

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Caldwell (District 30 - East Greenwich, West Greenwich), a fellow member of the House Judiciary Committee, said: “Over the last decade, I’ve watched Jason work tirelessly on criminal justice reform with an admirable commitment to making Rhode Island safer for children and families. Jason has the judgment and discipline this office demands. He is methodical, fair, and fact-driven — never rash, always deliberate, and committed to getting it right.”

And Speakman (District 68 - Bristol, Warren), who sits with Rep. Knight on the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, said: “Jason has the experience, knowledge, and integrity that are essential for the job. As a House colleague, I have often relied on his sharp analysis of complex legal matters. He is a principled legislator who shows deep commitment to making Rhode Island safer.”

 

UMASS Poll

A new poll from UMass finds a majority of respondents are unhappy with President Donald Trump’s job performance, a majority of Americans surveyed in a new national poll believe the cost of the Iran war is too great, the country’s neighborhoods do not need immigration detention centers, and more investigations connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein should be pursued.

Issued Thursday by the Center for Public Opinion at UMass Lowell and YouGov, the online survey of 1,000 American adults showed Trump’s approval rating sits at 39%, while 57% of respondents believe their lives have become somewhat or much more difficult over the past six months, and 67% believe the country is on the wrong track.

"Those numbers reflect a growing dissatisfaction when compared to the center’s October 2025 national survey of 1,000 American adults, which put Trump’s approval rating at 42%, while 52% of polltakers said their lives had become more difficult over the previous six months and 65% said the country is on the wrong track. In the new poll, 49% of respondents also said they feel a great deal or a lot of frustration with the Trump administration’s economic policies," according to UMass.

According to the poll, respondents say the Iran war is too costly
. The Iran war is unpopular, the new poll shows. In it, 65% of respondents said the U.S. is spending too much on the conflict. Further, 45% of respondents feel a lot or a great deal of frustration with the Trump administration’s foreign policy, while 17% said they are moderately frustrated.
Results also show respondents are less than confident in the United States’ alliances in the Middle East. When asked whether the country’s close relationship with Israel does more to help or hurt U.S. interests, 42% said it does more to hurt, while 29% said it does more to help. Asked the same question about Saudi Arabia, 29% said the United States’ close relationship with the country does more to hurt U.S. interests, and 29% said it does more to help.

“The Iran war is an unmitigated public-opinion disaster for the Trump administration,” said UMass Lowell’s John Cluverius, the center’s director of survey research and an associate professor of political science. “Most wars start out popular, get more popular with strategic victories, but then lose popularity over time. Not only does the war appear to be dragging down Trump’s approval rating, but he seems to have skipped the typical surge of popularity for military action and gone straight to the decline. Foreign policy blunders can affect public opinion even after the conflict is over, and escalation of the conflict would only worsen the political situation at home for the president.”

The nonpartisan poll has an adjusted margin of error of +/- 4.05 percentage points and was conducted from March 26 to March 30. Funded by UMass Lowell, the survey was designed and analyzed by the university’s Center for Public Opinion and fielded by YouGov. Detailed poll results – including topline and full methodology – are available at www.uml.edu/polls.