Poll finds 77 percent of Rhode Islanders consider housing costs a  very serious  or  somewhat serious  problem

Fitzpatrick, Edward

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Roger Williams UniversityDOCS@RWUFeatured News Story The Week at Roger8-6-2018RWU/WPRI 12 Poll Shows R.I. Governor's Race aDead HeatEdward FitzpatrickRoger Williams UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_newsPart of the American Politics CommonsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Week at Roger at DOCS@RWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in FeaturedNews Story by an authorized administrator of DOCS@RWU. For more information, please contact mwu@rwu.edu.Recommended CitationFitzpatrick, Edward, "RWU/WPRI 12 Poll Shows R.I. Governor's Race a Dead Heat" (2018). Featured News Story. 178.https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_news/1788/14/2018 RWU/WPRI 12 Poll Shows R.I. Governor's Race a Dead Heat | Roger Williams Universityhttps://www.rwu.edu/news/news-archive/rwuwpri-12-poll-shows-ri-governors-race-dead-heat 1/2 News ArchiveRWU/WPRI 12 Poll Shows R.I. Governor's Race a Dead HeatPoll  nds 77 percent of Rhode Islanders consider housing costs a "very serious" or"somewhat serious" problemAugust 6, 2018 Edward FitzpatrickUpdated 10 p.m. Aug. 6, 2018, with results of survey questions about housing and abortion, plus link to full results.Updated 1 p.m. Aug. 7, 2018, with job performance ratings for President Trump.BRISTOL, R.I. – Amid the heat of summer, the race for governor remains a virtual dead heat, with Democratic Gov.Gina M. Raimondo clinging to a 2 percentage-point lead over Republican Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung, accordingto a Roger Williams University/WPRI 12 poll released Monday, Aug. 6.Raimondo received 39 percent of the vote compared to 37 percent for Fung, placing the results within the poll’s 4.8percent margin of error. Former state Rep. Joseph A. Trillo, an independent candidate who was honorary chairman ofPresident Donald Trump’s campaign in Rhode Island, received 6 percent, while three other independent candidates– Ann Armstrong, William Gilbert and Dr. Luis-Daniel Muñoz – received a combined total of 3 percent, the poll found.With the Nov. 6 election three months away, 14 percent of voters remain undecided.“The governor’s race has not changed since February – it’s still a dead heat,” pollster Joseph Fleming said. NeitherRaimondo nor Fung has broken 40 percent of the vote in the RWU/WPRI 12 polls, “but if the independent candidatesdraw 10 percent of the vote, they will only need 45 percent of the vote to win the race.”The results re ect the second poll undertaken since RWU and WPRI 12 forged a new partnership earlier this year,aiming to provide timely polling data on the state’s major electoral races and public policy issues. The February pollshowed Raimondo leading with 38 percent of the vote to Fung’s 36 percent.The landline and cell phone interview poll of 407 Rhode Island registered voters was conducted July 28-31 byFleming & Associates, based in Cumberland, R.I. RWU plans to host a live WPRI 12 candidate debate on its Bristolcampus in the fall.The latest poll pitted Raimondo not only against Fung but also against two other Republican candidates running theSept. 12 GOP primary: In a matchup against House Republican Minority Leader Patricia L. Morgan, Raimondo wouldwin 41 percent to 24 percent, and in a matchup against businessman Giovanni Feroce, Raimondo would win 43percent to 9 percent, the poll showed.8/14/2018 RWU/WPRI 12 Poll Shows R.I. Governor's Race a Dead Heat | Roger Williams Universityhttps://www.rwu.edu/news/news-archive/rwuwpri-12-poll-shows-ri-governors-race-dead-heat 2/2Also, the poll included matchups pitting Matt Brown, the former secretary of state challenging Raimondo in the Sept.12 Democratic primary, against the three Republican candidates. Fung would beat Brown 36 percent to 21 percent,but Brown would edge Morgan 25 percent to 21 percent, and Brown would beat Feroce 27 percent to 8 percent,the poll showed.Many voters have made up their minds about Raimondo and Fung, who also squared o  in the 2014 governor’s race.The poll found 50 percent of voters have a strongly favorable or somewhat favorable opinion of Raimondo, with just 2percent unsure. By contrast, the poll found 40 percent of voters say Raimondo is doing an excellent or good job ino ce – a full 10 percentage points below her favorability rating.The poll found 56 percent of voters have a strongly favorable or somewhat favorable opinion of Fung, with 13percent unsure.Other candidates are less well known. The poll found 32 percent have a strongly favorable or somewhat favorableopinion of Morgan, with 50 percent unsure. It found 25 percent have a strongly favorable or somewhat favorableopinion of Trillo, with 42 percent unsure. And it found 10 percent have a strongly favorable or somewhat favorableopinion of Feroce, with 62 percent unsure.The poll found that 77 percent of Rhode Islanders think the cost of buying or renting a home is a “very serious” or“somewhat serious” problem, with just 6 percent saying it’s “not serious at all.”Housing costs were of greatest concern among independent voters, with 82 percent saying they consider that a“very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem, compared to 78 percent of Democrats and 64 percent ofRepublicans.“This con rms the  ndings in our yearly Housing Fact Book that Rhode Islanders are ‘cost burdened’ when it comesto housing,” said Brenda Clement, director of HousingWorks RI at RWU. “Half of all renters and 1 in 3 homeownerswith a mortgage are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs. Housing is a nonpartisanissue, and we must invest more resources for housing programs and production so that Rhode Islanders at everyincome level can have a safe, a ordable place to call home.”The poll found that 49 percent of voters support and 32 percent oppose a Rhode Island bill, called the ReproductiveHealth Care Act, which would give women in Rhode Island the right to have an abortion until the fetus is viable.Following President Trump’s election, state legislators introduced the bill, aiming to codify existing abortion rights instate law in case the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade is overturned. The bill is supported by 67percent of Democrats, 38 percent of Republicans and 37 percent of independent voters, according to the poll.Also, the poll found that 37 percent of Rhode Islanders rate President Trump's job performance as "good" or"excellent," while 44 percent say he is doing a "poor" job. That marks an improvement over the February poll, when30 percent said he was doing a "good" or "excellent" job and 54 percent said he was doing a "poor" job.For full results, click here.For in-depth coverage from WPRI 12, visit: https://www.wpri.com/politics/wpri-12rwu-poll-raimondo-fung-still-in-tight-race-for-ri-governor/1349587973

RWU/WPRI 12 Poll Shows R.I. Governor\u27s Race a Dead Heat

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RWU/WPRI 12 Poll Shows R.I. Governor\u27s Race a Dead Heat

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