Job Approval Ratings for 2010 Gubernatorial Candidates

A new Brown University poll allows us to key in on the 2010 race for Governor of Rhode Island.

Here are the “approval” and “disapproval” job approval numbers for each likely 2010 gubernatorial candidate.  Approval is defined as a respondent calling the person’s job performance “excellent” or “good.”  Disapproval is defined as a respondent calling the person’s job performance “only fair” or “poor.”  For each poll, I produced a number – such as (+8) for Patrick Lynch – which is the approval rating minus the disapproval rating.

Patrick Lynch

• February 2009 (+8) – Approval: 48%; Disapproval: 40%  Don’t Know: 12%
• September 2008 (+12) – Approval: 52%; Disapproval: 40%; Don’t Know: 8%
• February 2008 (+14) – Approval: 50%; Disapproval: 36%; Don’t Know: 14%

Frank Caprio

• February 2009 (+2) – Approval: 35%; Disapproval: 33%  Don’t Know: 33%
• September 2008 (+14) – Approval: 40%; Disapproval: 26%; Don’t Know: 35%
• February 2008 (+20) - Approval: 40%; Disapproval 20%; Don’t Know: 40%

David Cicilline

• February 2009 (-9) – Approval: 38%; Disapproval: 47%  Don’t Know: 14%
• September 2008 (+3) – Approval: 46%; Disapproval: 43%; Don’t Know: 11%
• February 2008 (+19) – Approval: 51%; Disapproval: 32%; Don’t Know: 17%

Elizabeth Roberts

• February 2009 (-14) – Approval: 21%; Disapproval: 35%  Don’t Know: 44%
• September 2008 (-20) – Appoval: 24%; Disapproval: 44%; Don’t Know: 32%
• February 2008 (-3) – Appoval: 30%; Disapproval: 33%; Don’t Know: 37%

Generally speaking, as I previously outlined in my post on the current odds for the Governor’s race, the Democratic Primary seems to be moving towards a Lynch/Caprio matchup with falling numbers for both Cicilline and Roberts.  In one year, Cicilline’s numbers have dropped 28 points (from +19 to -9) and Roberts’ numbers have dropped 11 points in the same period (-3 to -14). While both Lynch and Caprio both saw their numbers drop as well, they have both managed to have their approvals higher than their disapprovals.  It should be noted that both Roberts and Caprio have high numbers of “don’t know or no answers” in their numbers.

2010 Fundraising Numbers

Fresh off my odds-making for the 2010 Governor’s race, here is the final round of 2008 campaign finance reports for possible gubernatorial candidates (from 10/1/2008 through 12/31/2008).

Frank Caprio (D) – Website and Facebook Page.

• Raised $151k and has a current Cash on Hand of $1.1 million.

David Cicilline (D) - Website and Facebook Page.

• Raised $121k and has a current Cash on Hand of $685k.

Patrick Lynch (D) – Website and Facebook Page.

• Raised $120k and has a current Cash on Hand of $392k.

Elizabeth Roberts (D) – Website and Facebook Page.

• Raised $46k, loaned her campaign $100k and has a current Cash on Hand of $255k.

Steve Laffey (R) – Website and Facebook Page.

• Raised $0k and has a current Cash on Hand of $98k.

Joe Trillo (R) – Website and Facebook Page.

• Raised $125 and has a current Cash on Hand of $60k.

Lincoln Chafee (I) – No Website and Facebook Page.

• Has an inactive state campaign organization.

What do these numbers tell us?

On the Democratic side, Frank Caprio clearly dominated the 2008 fundraising season.  Kudos to his fundraiser Amy Gabarra for her great work.  David Cicilline also had a great fundraising year and his fundraiser Brett Smiley is also owed props for his work.  Both Patrick Lynch and Elizabeth Roberts struggled to raise money in the beginning of 2008, but Lynch really turned up the volume and ended the year on a high note both politically (with Obama winning) and financially (with nearly $400k in the bank).  And the fact that Roberts loaned her campaign $100k shows that even she knows that she has to do a better job of raising money if she’s going to compete in 2010.

On the Republican side, no gubernatorial candidate was even able to break the $100k barrier.

Death of Immigrant in Federal Detention Prompts Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit

While reflecting on Tom Sgouros’s post on the privatization of the Wyatt Detention Center and Saturday’s BeloJo story on the $230k salary of the Wyatt director, I realizd that the New York Times editorial on Hiu Lui Ng’s shameful death at Wyatt deserves republishing.  ICE should not even consider recontracting with Wyatt unless a full apology is offered to Mr. Ng’s family, a full audit of Wyatt’s care is conducted and Wyatt is brought back under public control.

This country’s harsh regime of immigration enforcement is racked with troubles from top to bottom, from the federal raids recklessly sweeping thousands of harmless immigrants into custody to the scandal-riddled detention system that abuses and neglects them once they get there.

Last week, The Times’s Nina Bernstein reported on another shameful case of someone entering immigration detention, getting sick, and dying. This time it was Hiu Lui Ng, a computer engineer from China. He paid the ultimate price for overstaying a visa, and getting lost in a sprawling system that some have likened to a gulag.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not comment because of a continuing investigation. But court affidavits tell a story of shocking neglect:

Click here to keep reading and click here for the 47-page lawsuit, filed by RI ACLU cooperating attorney Jack McConnell of the law firm of Motley Rice LLC.