If the election between Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and Helena Foulkes was held today, twice as many voters would choose Foulkes, according to a newly released poll from WPRI-TV.
The poll of 565 likely primary voters shows 40% prefer Foulkes, 20% support McKee, 37% are undecided and 3% want someone else.
Among independents, the biggest voting bloc in Rhode Island, Foulkes leads, 45% to 13%. Her lead is narrower (37% to 25%) among Democrats. Independents can vote in either primary in Rhode Island.
The findings in the race for governor have a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points, plus or minus. And they continue a trend in which Foulkes has maintained a double-digit lead over McKee in a series of polls.
A few hours before WPRI released its poll, McKee’s campaign said that an internal poll it conducted revealed vulnerability for Foulkes among Democratic voters, based on her connections to opioids as a former top executive at CVS and other issues.
“This will ensure a highly competitive primary – the kind that Governor McKee has a proven history of winning,” McKee’s campaign said in a statement. “When Democratic primary voters are informed fully of both records, the McKee campaign is confident in a similar outcome in November.
Foulkes maintains a significant fundraising advantage over McKee.
Both campaigns are expected to hit each other with negative ads, with about three months until early voting begins in the election.
The WPRI-Emerson poll shows that almost three times as many of respondents (60%) view McKee unfavorably as favorably (21%). Foulkes is viewed favorably by 27% and unfavorably by 29%.
WPRI political analyst Joe Fleming said the race may come down to which issue is more worrisome for voters – opioids or the infrastructure problems represented most visibly by the Washington Bridge.
The WPRI-Emerson poll also looked at how independent candidate for governor Ken Block squares up with McKee and Foulkes. It found McKee with an 11-point lead over Block, and Foulkes with a 20-point lead over him.
In the race for attorney general, the poll found that 72% of respondents are undecided, reflecting how voters have yet to focus on the four-way Democratic primary. Current AG Peter Neronha is prevented by term limits from seeking re-election.
The poll found Kim Ahern and Joe Solomon leading the race with 9% each, followed by Jayson Knight and Keith Hoffmann with 5% apiece.
Among the top issues, 51% of respondents chose infrastructure, 50% immigration, and 43% health care.
The primary is Sept. 9.
