New poll shows R.I. Governor Dan McKee's approval rating at 19 percent
McKee announced plans to
Get Rhode Map
A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.
Enter Email
Sign Up
So what now?
Advertisement
If you're Foulkes, you do you. You keep raising money, and you cross your fingers that McKee stays in the race and any other top tier contenders take a pass.
If you're Shekarchi, this is when you ramp up behind-the-scenes talks with union leaders to suggest that it's time to nudge McKee into retirement with the old 'for the good of the Democratic Party' argument. Translation: Your point is, 'If you don't want Foulkes, you need me.'
Advertisement
If you're Neronha, you capitalize on your moment. Your
But campaigns don't magically come together, so you have to start raising money and building a team.
If you're McKee, you brace yourself and buckle in. You and your team have always known this campaign was going to be a slog.
Yes, but:
The poll asks relatively generic questions that offer voters the ability to vent their frustrations, but it doesn't demonstrate the decision they'll have to make between the candidates, which McKee has consistently won during three successful campaigns for statewide office in the past.
Still, McKee is in desperate need of a spark.The UNH poll shows President Trump's job approval at 37 percent – nearly twice McKee's.
He might get a boost in the next week or so because
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday,
Dan McGowan can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
The Democratic Party needs ‘generational change,' former White House official says
American Frontier Strategies CEO Mehek Cooke and former White House press office chief of staff Yemisi Egbewole discuss the failed Senate nominee deal and the Democratic Party's future leadership on 'Fox News Live.'
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘They roll right over': Many Democratic voters call their party weak and ineffective, poll finds
WASHINGTON — Many Democrats see their political party as 'weak' or 'ineffective,' while Republicans are more complimentary of their party, although a small but significant share describe the GOP as 'greedy' or say it is generally 'bad,' according to a new poll. The poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in July reveals warning signs for both major U.S. parties as the political focus shifts to elections in New Jersey and Virginia this fall and the midterm contests next year. Respondents were asked to share the first word or phrase that came to mind when they thought of the Republican and Democratic parties. Answers were then sorted into broad categories, including negative and positive attributes. Overall, U.S. adults held a dim view of both parties, with about 4 in 10 using negative attributes, including words such as 'dishonest' or 'stupid.' But nearly nine months after Republican Donald Trump won a second presidential term, Democrats appear to be harboring more resentment about the state of their party than do Republicans. Democrats were likelier to describe their own party negatively than Republicans. Republicans were about twice as likely to describe their own party positively. 'They're spineless,' Cathia Krehbiel, a 48-year-old Democrat from Indianola, Iowa, said of her party. She believes the party's response to the Trump administration has been 'scattershot.' 'I just feel like there's so much recently that's just going abhorrently wrong,' Krehbiel said. 'And they speak up a little bit and they roll right over.' Overall, roughly one-third of Democrats described their party negatively in the open-ended question. About 15% described the Democratic Party using such words as 'weak' or 'apathetic,' while an additional 10% believe it is broadly 'ineffective' or 'disorganized.' Only about 2 in 10 Democrats described their party positively, with roughly 1 in 10 saying it is 'empathetic' or 'inclusive.' An additional 1 in 10 used more general positive descriptors. It is unclear what effect the Democrats' unease may have on upcoming elections or the political debate in Washington, but no political organization wants to be plagued by internal divisions. Still, the Democrats' frustration appears to reflect their concern that party leaders are not doing enough to stop Trump's GOP, which controls Washington. There is little sign that such voters would abandon their party in favor of Trump's allies in upcoming elections, and the vast majority of Democrats described the GOP negatively. But disaffected Democrats might decide not to vote at all. That could undermine their party's push to reclaim at least one chamber of Congress in 2026. Jim Williams, a 78-year-old retiree from Harper Woods, Mich., is a self-described political independent who said he typically supports Democrats, but he is 'disappointed' with the party and its murky message. He views the Republican Party as much worse, saying it 'has lost it' under Trump's leadership. 'All he does is bully and call names. They've got no morals, no ethics. And the more they back him, the less I like them,' he said of Trump. Republicans are about twice as likely as Democrats to describe their party positively, with many also using straightforward ideological descriptors like 'conservative.' About 4 in 10 Republicans used positive attributes to characterize the GOP, making general mentions of words such as 'patriotic' or 'hardworking,' or offering associations with the word 'freedom.' Samuel Washington, 65, of Chicago, said he typically votes Republican. He praised Trump's leadership, even while acknowledging that the president's policies on trade and spending might be creating short-term economic hardship. 'There's a lot of pain, but the pain is the result of 12 years of misuse and misguided leadership from the Democratic Party,' he said. 'I'm feeling really good about Republicans and the direction that they're going.' But views were not uniformly good. About 2 in 10 Republicans said something negative about the party, including phrases such as 'greedy,' 'for the rich' or 'corrupt.' Republican Dick Grayson, an 83-year-old veteran from Trade, Tenn., said he is 'disappointed' by his party's fealty to Trump. Among other things, he pointed to the price tag of Trump's tax-and-spend package, which will add nearly $3.3 trillion to the nation's debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 'I've always been a Republican, but I'm disillusioned about both parties,' Grayson said. Among all Americans, the poll finds that the Republican Party is viewed slightly more negatively than the Democratic Party. The different is not large: 43% used negative words to describe the Republicans, compared with 39% for the Democrats. Much of the negativity is driven by the opposing party — and nonaligned voters' distaste for both. So-called political independents are much likelier to describe both parties with negative attributes rather than positive descriptors, though a significant share did not offer an opinion. Curtis Musser, a 60-year-old unaffiliated voter from Beverly Hills, Fla., said both parties have shifted too far toward the extreme for his liking. He said he is ready for a serious third party to emerge before the next presidential election, pointing to Elon Musk's new America Party, which has been slow to launch. 'Maybe he would get us headed in the right direction,' the retired schoolteacher said. The AP-NORC poll of 1,437 adults was conducted July 10-14, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points. Peoples, Sanders and Yoo write for the Associated Press. Peoples reported from New York, Sanders and Yoo from Washington.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
David Jolly, leading Democratic candidate for 2026 governor, shares views on abortion and Alligator Alcatraz
Jim devotes the entire half-hour to a sit-down with David Jolly, the leading Democratic candidate for governor in 2026. Jolly is facing his strongest criticism, not from Republicans, but from his fellow Democrats, especially on the issue of abortion. That's because 10 years ago, when he was in Congress, Jolly was a Republican who made it clear he believed life began at conception. Now, as a Democrat, Jolly says his views on abortion have evolved, and he now supports a woman's right to have one. Jim and Jolly also discuss the controversial Alligator Alcatraz detention center, the affordability crisis, and other issues he would have to address as governor. Guest: David Jolly/(D) Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Jolly, who as a Republican represented Florida's 13th District from 2014 to 2017, is officially running for Florida governor as a Democrat. Jolly, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, joins a growing and diverse field in the 2026 race, which includes Republican Congressman Byron Donalds and former Democrat-turned-Independent Jason Pizzo. In an interview with CBS News Miami's Joan Murray, Jolly explained his decision to run under the Democratic banner, despite the significant voter registration gap favoring Republicans.
