For the first time in nearly 30 years, a Republican could win Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District, according to a new poll.
Republican Allan Fung is leading Democrat Seth Magaziner in the race 46% to 40%, with 9% of voters undecided, a WPRI-Roger Williams University poll found. The poll notably surveyed a scant 254 likely voters and had a large margin of error of plus or minus 6.2 percentage points, but it echoes previous findings in a stark warning for Democrats.
ABORTION TAKES CENTER STAGE IN RI CONGRESSIONAL RACE — AND BOTH CANDIDATES FAVOR ACCESS
“We are all hands on deck at HQ! We are knocking every door, and calling every voter to beat the extremist agenda Allan Fung will enable in Congress. Social Security, Medicare, and choice are all on the ballot this November,” Magaziner tweeted shortly after the poll was released.
A previous poll released by the same group in June had Fung with a similar six-point lead over Magaziner. The latest poll surveyed voters from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2. The last time a Republican held the seat was 1991. Former Rep. Claudine Schneider (R-RI), who was the last Republican to serve the district, has endorsed Magaziner in the race.
BREAKING: New @wpri12 @myRWU poll finds GOP positioned to win a congressional race in RI this fall for the first time since 1992 – but Dem hopes still alive@AllanFungRI has kept the 6-pt lead he had over @SethMagaziner back in June #RI02 (w/ @TimWhiteRI) https://t.co/NCoYb1t9CY pic.twitter.com/ulqH1RbhPo
— Ted Nesi (@TedNesi) October 6, 2022
Fung’s surprisingly strong performance in a district that President Joe Biden won by about 14 points in 2020 has stoked the interest of national Republicans, who have poured upward of $1 million into the race, hoping to clinch an upset victory.
The seat is held by outgoing Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), who served for nearly two decades before announcing his retirement earlier this year. Fung was the mayor of Cranston, the second-largest city in the state, from 2009-2021. He also vied unsuccessfully for governor in 2014 and 2018, giving him ample name recognition.
Magaziner, meanwhile, serves as the state treasurer. Throughout the campaign, he has hammered Fung on issues such as abortion while also seeking to caricature Fung as a stooge for former President Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), both of whom are deeply unpopular in the Ocean State.
Top of mind for voters in the district is the cost of living, which was ranked the top concern by 42% of respondents, followed by abortion, which was ranked as such by 14% of voters. Roughly 48% of voters in the district feel that the state is heading in the wrong direction.
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Fung and Magaziner are slated to square off on Oct. 18 for the first televised debate. The Cook Political Report ranks the race as a toss-up.
For Fung, getting to 46% to ~49% he needs to win is going to be really tough in a Biden +14 seat. But, his durable lead is why @CookPolitical continues to rate #RI02 a Toss Up. https://t.co/1SrSkdeEaQ
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 6, 2022
Another recent WPRI-Roger Williams University poll found that incumbent Gov. Dan McKee is leading Republican Ashley Kalus 45% to 32% in the race for governor. The poll surveyed a slightly larger pool of 402 likely voters from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
