A new poll by the Pell Center at Salve Regina University shows both Gov. Dan McKee and Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos with approval ratings that are underwater.
Thirty-six percent of respondents support the job done by McKee, while 54% disapprove, according to the poll. For Matos, the approval number is 28%, while her disapproval was 39%.
On McKee’s handling of the Washington Bridge problem, 59% disapprove. The disapproval number is 78% among Republicans, 66% among independents, and 41% among Democrats.
Also underwater in the Democratic bastion of Rhode Island: President Joe Biden. 54% of respondents disapprove of his job performance, compared to 42% who approve.
The findings are based on internet and text responses from 1,450 likely voters, conducted by Embold Research from June 5-14, and they have a 2.8 percentage point margin of error.
The poll shows strong support for creating an office of inspector general, an idea championed by Republicans this year. The idea has support from 73% of respondents overall, including 68% from Democrats, 76% from independents, and 79% among Republicans.
Among elected officials surveyed in the poll, perennial leader U.S. Sen. Jack Reed had the best approval rating at 58%, compared with 28% disapproval.
Sixty percent of respondents say Rhode Island is headed in the wrong direction. Republicans express 92% support for that view, independents 72% and Democrats 34%.
Forty percent say U.S. democracy is healthy, although Republicans disagree at a rate of 59%.
“While we can highlight a shared belief that fair elections are a cornerstone of democracy, the level of distrust in the electoral processes is in of itself concerning,” Pell Center Associate Director Katie Sonder said in a statement accompanying the poll.
“It matches a level of distrust in democratic institutions, like Congress and the free press, which we see at the national polling level,” she added. “No matter the outcome of November 5th, it’ll be worthwhile to invest in peace and reconciliation initiatives to rebuild trust and enhance productive civic engagement.”
Here are the comparable findings for other elected officials whose job performance was assessed in the poll: U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (48/38); U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (51/31); U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo (42/27).
In the race for president, Democrat Biden leads Republican Donald Trump by seven points, 40 to 33.
All four Democrats in the state’s congressional delegation have strong leads in the poll against unspecified GOP challengers.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents say they trust the 2024 elections to be fair and accurate, while 38% do not. Democrats are almost eight times more likely than Republicans to trust the election process, although inaccurate and misleading election information is described as a concern across party lines.
Sixty-two percent of respondents – but just 35% of Republicans – believe candidates running at the state and federal level this year should commit to accepting the results.
