<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1656352249505,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017f-e2f4-de00-a7ff-e7fff8030000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1656352249505,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017f-e2f4-de00-a7ff-e7fff8030000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_56343335", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1041556"} }); ","_id":"00000181-a649-da7c-a7c7-e76d8a180000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedIn a stark warning sign for Democrats, a new poll shows the likely Republican nominee for a Rhode Island congressional seat leading his potential Democratic rivals in a state that gave President Joe Biden one of his higher margins of victory in 2020.
A poll of 423 likely voters in Rhode Island’s newly redrawn 2nd Congressional District showed Allan Fung, a former mayor of Cranston and the heavy favorite in the GOP primary, leading all of his potential Democratic rivals in the general election by wide margins. His closest challenger, state Treasurer Seth Magaziner, received 39% of support to Fung’s 45%, while Fung led all of the other Democratic candidates by double-digit margins.
VIDEO: RHODE ISLAND SENATE CANDIDATE SAYS OPPONENT ASSAULTED HER AT ROE RALLY
The poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 percentage points, also showed Magaziner with a healthy lead among his Democratic primary competitors. Fung, who unsuccessfully ran for governor twice, is widely seen among political observers as a mainstream candidate and the most electable Republican in Democratic-dominated Rhode Island.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Samantha Bullock called Fung a “dynamic recruit who has what it takes to turn the seat red.”
“When a deep blue state like Rhode Island appears primed to send a Republican to Congress, it’s a clear sign that one-party Democrat rule is failing, and voters are taking notice,” she said. “With record inflation, surging crime, and a crisis at our southern border, Republicans have the best opportunity in decades to flip RI-02.”
Bullock also noted that Fung has been named to the NRCC “Young Guns” program, indicating that national Republicans view the race as winnable. However, the seat was not included in the NRCC’s first round of investments.
Held by Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), who is retiring, since 2001, the 2nd District has until now not been widely regarded as a top pickup opportunity for House Republicans. Election forecasters have placed it on the periphery of competitive seats, with Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections rating the seat “Likely Democratic” and the Cook Political Report rating it “Lean Democratic.”
The 2nd District encompasses all of western and southern Rhode Island, splitting Providence with the 1st Congressional District, which is anchored in the northeastern corner of the state. With a partisan voter index of D+6, a Republican has not held the 2nd District since 1991, and no Republican has represented Rhode Island in Congress since 1995.
Underscoring the district’s Democratic tilt, Biden won it by a 56% to 42% margin in the 2020 election. Biden carried the state as a whole with 59% of the vote to former President Donald Trump’s 39% in 2020.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
However, the same poll showed that Biden’s approval rating in Rhode Island has sharply declined in the year and a half since his election. Fifty-three percent of likely voters in the state disapprove of the president’s job performance, while just 39% approve. Additionally, an overwhelming 69% of Rhode Island voters believe that Biden should not run for reelection in 2024, while just 22% think that he should.
The poll was conducted by the Boston Globe and Suffolk University.
