Another poll has pegged Republican congressional hopeful Allan Fung as the leading candidate for the contest in his deep-blue Rhode Island district, furthering speculation of a GOP upset.
Fung is edging out Democratic rival Seth Magaziner 45% to 37%, with 13% undecided and 5% opting for an independent candidate, in a recent Boston Globe-Suffolk University poll, which surveyed a scant 422 voters in the district from Oct. 1 to Oct. 4 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 percentage points.
REPUBLICAN ALLAN FUNG LEADS DEMOCRAT IN DEEP-BLUE RHODE ISLAND DISTRICT: POLL
President Joe Biden won the district by double digits in 2020, and it has been over 30 years since a Republican last held the seat. But Fung has brought ample name recognition to the contest, having been the mayor of Cranston, the second-largest city in the state, from 2009-2021.
A poll last week, which also had a large margin of error of plus or minus 6.2 percentage points, also pinned Fung as the front-runner by 6 points. Recently, RealClearPolitics moved the race from “toss-up” to “leans GOP.” Cook Political Report ranks the race as a “toss-up.”
The seat is held by outgoing Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), who announced his retirement earlier this year after serving nearly two decades in the House. Langevin most recently won reelection 58.4% to 41.6% in 2020.
With Fung running a surprisingly competitive race in the Democratic stronghold, national Republicans have begun expressing interest in the race. On Monday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie stumped for Fung during Columbus Day festivities in Providence.
Meanwhile, the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), reportedly plans to pour upward of $1 million into the race to buoy Fung in hopes of clinching a surprise victory.
Rhode Islanders loves straight talkers – and one of the best was in town today. Gov & #FriarsDad Chris Christie was a huge hit in Scituate – it was great to have him back in town! #FungForCongress ?? pic.twitter.com/W8iCQFeAIL
— Mayor Allan Fung (@AllanFungRI) October 10, 2022
Fung’s political strength has stoked the interest of Democratic top brass and drawn scathing ad campaigns from Magaziner, the state treasurer, who has sought to caricature Fung as a puppet for Republican extremists, often seeking to tie him to former President Donald Trump and McCarthy, both of whom are unpopular in the state. Fung has pointed to his history of centrist stances on several topics, such as abortion rights.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In addition to finding Fung as the front-runner, the poll also found Democratic incumbent gubernatorial contender Dan McKee nearly tied with his Republican challenger Ashley Kalus in the 2nd Congressional District, 42% to 41%. McKee holds a commanding lead of 46% to 36% against Kalus statewide in the poll.
Redistricting rendered the district largely unchanged, and it has traditionally leaned less Democratic than the Ocean State’s other congressional district. The poll also found that a mere 35% of Rhode Islanders believe the state is moving in the right direction. Cost of living was named the top concern for voters at 44% followed by abortion rights at 15%.
