Exclusive Poll: RI voters are angry

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Taking the temperature of 500 registered voters in Rhode Island, an exclusive Eyewitness News poll released last week revealed those questioned, are heated.

Eyewitness News Political Analyst and pollster Joe Fleming said all politicians should take heed, but those up for re-election in 2010 have the most to worry about.

• Watch extended analysis from Joe Fleming

"If the incumbents wait until June and July to start their campaigns that maybe too late for them,” Fleming said. “If the anger keeps growing there may be no turning back for some of these incumbents."

Across the board, politicians saw tough results in the poll with low job performance ratings.

• See a breakdown of the poll results

Though voters felt legislators bare most of the blame for the budget crisis -- to the tune of 53 percent compared to the Governor at 15 percent -- Governor Don Carcieri took it on the statistical chin as well.

Voters gave Governor Carcieri a favorable rating of 40 percent and an unfavorable of 59 percent.

• See a breakdown of Gov. Carcieri's poll numbers

Fleming said, these numbers could be a potential problem for Republican gubernatorial candidate John Robitaille who until recently, was one of Carcieri’s top staffers.

“We’re different people,” said Robitaille. “I want to differentiate myself, but not distance myself.”

• Watch extended interview with Robitaille

When asked what the difference was, Robitaille said though he and the Governor have the same ideology, he will approach government and interactions within it, differently.

“We have the same aim, the same goals: smaller government, lower taxes, more efficiency,” Robitaille said. “I’m not going to distance myself from that at all.”

When asked how things were going in Rhode Island, voters overwhelmingly had a grim outlook: 70 percent thought the Ocean State was going in the wrong direction, 13 percent in the right direction and 12 percent said about the same.

Men were more fed up than women: 75 percent of men said “wrong direction” to 67 percent of women.

• See a breakdown of how RI'ers feel about state's direction

Fleming said, in a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, this should come as little surprise.

"We have a budget crisis that continues on every day, it doesn't seem to ever end,” Fleming said. “ People are not optimistic in Rhode Island at this time."

Which could spell trouble for those looking to run again in 2010, he said.

“If I were an incumbent, I’d be very worried.”

The poll was conducted by phone January 27 through January 31, 2010. Reflecting the political canvas of the state; 39 percent of those questioned considered themselves Democrat, 17 percent Republican and 41 percent independent. The poll comes with a 4.4 percent margin of error.