Poll: Gorbea leads in RI governor's race; Fung could swing congressional seat red

Nellie Gorbea has taken the lead in the Democratic primary for governor, according to a poll released Monday.

The poll, from Suffolk University and The Boston Globe of 800 likely Rhode Island voters, found that if the primary were held today, 24% would vote for Gorbea, 20% for incumbent Dan McKee, 16% for Helena Foulkes, 5% for Matt Brown and 1% for Luis Daniel Muñoz. Thirty-one percent of those polled are still undecided.

The poll was conducted June 19-22 and shows Gorbea edging ahead of McKee, who posted a slim 25% to 23% advantage in the previous public poll of the race last month.

"Polls come and go. We're going to do the work and continue to do the work," McKee told reporters after signing the state budget Monday.

The poll also shows former CVS executive Foulkes, who began an advertising blitz last month, gaining ground. Only 6% of respondents to the May poll said they would vote for Foulkes.

“While the other candidates have stalled, Helena is surging and our campaign is not slowing down," Foulkes campaign spokesperson Audrey Lucas said. "Our path to victory is clear. Over the next few months, Rhode Islanders across the state will get to know Helena even better and learn more about her plans to get big things done for Rhode Island.”

The new Suffolk poll found 39% approved of the job McKee is doing as governor and 52.5% disapproved.

And it found the cost of living is on voters' minds, with 32% picking it as their most important issue, with education second at 12%.

Over in the 2nd Congressional District race, the poll found Republican Allan Fung leading all of the potential Democratic nominees.

Treasurer Seth Magaziner is leading the Democratic primary field with 30% of the vote compared to 8% for Joy Fox and David Segal. Sarah Morgenthau and Cameron Moquin received 3%.

But Fung leads Magaziner 45% to 39% in a potential head-to-head matchup, according to the poll.

"While Magaziner may visit us from time to time, he does not live in our congressional district and does not understand the priorities of our neighbors," the Fung campaign said in an email touting the poll results. "As a two-term statewide office holder, he barely does better than Sarah Morgenthau, who has never lived here full time and can’t figure out which state she currently lives in to take a homestead exemption."

The Magaziner campaign said the poll shows he is the strongest Democratic candidate against Fung.

“Nothing would be more disastrous for Rhode Island than if Allan Fung wins in November and helps the right-wing extremists take control of Congress," said Magaziner Communications Director Patricia Socarras. "Magaziner will fight to defend the right to choose, protect Americans from gun violence and reverse the climate crisis by creating clean energy jobs right here in the Ocean State.”

The Morgenthau campaign went after Fung for taking a swipe at her murky residency.

"Allan Fung doesn’t know where he stands on lowering costs for families, on a woman’s right to choose, on gun reform, on the environment, on Trump’s attempt to overturn our election, or on basically any issue," Morgenthau Campaign Manager Bryan McNamara said.

panderson@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Poll finds Nellie Gorbea and Allan Fung leading key RI races