Poll: Jobs key in Cicilline-Gemma race

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Congressman David Cicilline's recent apology for calling Providence's finances "excellent" in 2010 will have little impact on Democratic primary voters when they head to the polls in September, an exclusive WPRI 12 poll reveals.

The survey of 302 likely Democratic primary voters in Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District shows 49% think Cicilline's apology will make "no difference" in their level of support for the incumbent, while 6% said it makes them more inclined to support him.

“That’s the key thing here: half the voters say it’s not going to have an affect on them," WPRI 12 political analyst and pollster Joe Fleming said.

• More: Dems give Cicilline a slim lead
• Interactive: Full results of the poll
• Video Web Extra: Analysis with Joe Fleming

The telephone interview poll was conducted last Tuesday through Saturday by Fleming & Associates of Cumberland, R.I. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus approximately 5.7 percentage points.

Last month Cicilline offered his fist public apology and expressed regret for being overly optimistic about Providence's finances during his first run for Congress in 2010. The freshman congressman has struggled to improve his poll numbers since leaving his job as mayor of Providence.

Fleming said while the poll shows the apology doesn't matter much to voters, it could have been worse for Cicilline if he'd stayed silent on the issue.

“If he did this 16 months ago, it probably would have had a lot bigger effect on this campaign," Fleming said. "It's something he felt he had to do to try and stop the bleeding that was going on."

Cicilline said his decision to issue the apology came after people "across the district" asked him to address the controversy head on.

"I think the poll reflects that many people aren't interested in that but I think it was important for me to say it," Cicilline said. "It was important that I ... be candid about why I used the word and to acknowledge I should not have used that word when describing the city."

The poll shows Rhode Island's bleak unemployment rate will be the dominant factor when voters choose between Cicilline and fellow Democrat Anthony Gemma in September.

When asked to name the most important issue they'll consider in choosing on a candidate, 46% said the economy and jobs; 24% said character; 11% said experience; 8% said who had the best chance to win in November; and 7% said Providence's finances.

"If they are saying 'character' and they are saying 'Providence finances,' they are probably voters that are not going to vote for David Cicilline,” Fleming said. “They are going to vote more for Anthony Gemma."

Gemma – who has accused the former mayor of "lying" about the city's fiscal condition in the past – was less inclined to point fingers during an interview reacting to the poll.

"David Cicilline has apologized for those lies and I think the voters now know, so I don't believe there is anything to talk about anymore there," Gemma said. "I want the voters to get to know me and how passionate I am and how hard I am going to work when I get to Washington and work on their behalf."

Tim White ( twhite@wpri.com ) is the Target 12 investigative reporter for WPRI 12 and Fox Providence. Follow him on Twitter: @white_tim

Ted Nesi contributed to this report.