Loughlin Draws Even With Matos as RI Democrats Dominate Elsewhere on Ballot

The UNH Survey Center's Ocean State Poll, released Thursday, surveyed 598 likely general election voters from Sept. 17-21 and found Matos at 48 percent to Loughlin's 44 percent, a gap UNH itself called "a statistical tie."

Matos, 48 percent
Loughlin, 44 percent
Undecided, 7 percent

Loughlin, an Army veteran and former state legislator, is drawing 82 percent of independents and 87 percent of Republicans, while Matos holds 83 percent of Democrats. If he wins, he would be the first Rhode Island Republican elected statewide since 2006, a drought GOP strategists have blamed on the state's registration gap rather than candidate quality.

The same poll found Democrats dominating the top of the ticket. Gubernatorial nominee Helena Foulkes and Sen. Jack Reed each hold double-digit leads, and outgoing Gov. Dan McKee's approval rating has collapsed to 15 percent, an all-time low. President Trump's approval in the state sits at 35 percent.

Matos and Loughlin met Friday for their first televised debate, taped for WPRI's Newsmakers and set to air on Fox Providence. Analysts on both sides say the outcome could hinge on turnout among the independents Loughlin currently leads.

With six weeks until Election Day, Rhode Island's down-ballot race is drawing more national attention than the one at the top of the ticket.