A new University of New Hampshire poll shows Rhode Island’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee Helena Buonanno Foulkes and Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos leading in their respective races. The survey of 753 likely voters puts Foul, Matos further ahead of their general election competitors compared with previous public polling. Two days out from Election Day, Matos has pulled ahead with a 15-point lead over GOP opponent John Loughlin among likely voters.
Nearly 120,000 voters have already cast ballots as of Monday morning, the last day of early voting. Meanwhile, Foulkes has surpassed the 50% mark among those who participated in the Oct. 27-31 online survey, which shows Foulkes with a 21-point lead over independent gubernatorial candidate Ken Block. GOP nominee Aaron Guckian came in a distant third, with support of 8% of survey respondents. The margin of error is 3.5%.
Public polling by other outlets put Foulkes and Block much closer, with Foulkes 9 points ahead of Block as of the Oct. 13 survey by WPRI-TV 12 and Emerson College. The contest between Foulkes and Block has set off an escalating feud in the last three weeks. Attack mailers sent by the Rhode Island Democratic Party on behalf of Foulkes depicted Block as a duck and likened his policies on wages and healthcare to President Donald Trump. Block alleges the state party spending for Foulkes’ exceeds the limit in state law, filing two complaints with the Rhode Island Board of Elections last week. The elections panel has not commented on the complaints or alleged violations.
In his latest TV ad, which hit airwaves one week out from the general election, Block calls Foulkes a “puppet” based on her support from state labor unions. Foulkes’ final advertising push includes more attacks on Block for his opposition to the Affordable Care Act. The public fighting has done little to warm voters to either candidate. Nearly 4 in 10 voters viewed Foulkes unfavorably – 2 percent more than those who viewed her favorably – according to the UNH survey. The minus 2 approval rating is better than the minus 13 rating for Foulkes in UNH’s September survey.
“As we head into Election Day, the momentum and energy are clearly with Helena,” Angelika Pellegrino, a spokesperson for Foulkes’ campaign, said in a statement Monday morning. “Rhode Islanders are ready for change and she is ready to get to work making life better.” Support for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Helena Buonanno Foulkes has increased in the six weeks since the last University of New Hampshire survey.
Block’s favorability rating dips. He now stands at minus 1, compared with a positive 12 rating in the September survey. However, just 10% of voters were unsure or didn’t know what to think about him, compared with nearly 1 in 3 in September. “Helena has run a misleading, one-note campaign of negativity,” Matthew Schweich, Block’s campaign manager, said in a statement Monday. “We doubt voters have responded to that.”
While Foulkes’ support includes an overwhelming majority of registered Democrats, Block carried the independent and Republican votes, with the latter backing Block over party nominee Guckian. Nearly out of campaign cash and facing public pressure to drop out, including from his GOP primary opponent Elaine Pelino, Guckian’s support overall dropped from 17% to 8% as of the latest survey. His favorability rating also plunged, from minus 15 to minus 46, though 1 in 5 voters still didn’t know enough about him to form an opinion. Guckian noted that a July 1 UNH survey showed
