Photos by Steve Klamkin WPRO News
By Sam Wroblewski WPRO.com
Buddy Cianci is the front runner in the race to be Providence’s next mayor, according to a Channel 12 and Providence Journal poll.
Out of the 500 likely voters surveyed, 38% said they would vote for Cianci, 32% would vote for Democratic Nominee Jorge Elorza, and 6% would vote for perennial Republican candidate Dan Harrop. 21% of those polled said they were still undecided.
“The numbers demonstrate that Providence residents believe that experience, vision and leadership will move the capital city in the right direction,” Cianci Campaign Spokeswoman Beryl Kenyon said in a statement.
The challenge for both Cianci and Elorza now lies in courting the remaining undecided voters.
“What our polling shows is that Cianci support and Elorza support is very solid,” Channel 12 pollster Joe Fleming told WPRO News. “Both of them have a good strong base of support; one candidate is not going to take votes from the other candidate, they have to get the undecided voters of Providence to come their way.”
Also revealed in the poll was Cianci’s and Elorza’s favorability rating. While 53% of those polled had a favorable opinion of Cianci, 37% had an unfavorable opinion of the former mayor. Elorza on the other hand has a favorability of 45% and an unfavorable rating of 17%; however 37% of those polled do not know who Elorza is.
In a statement, Elorza Campaign Manager Marisa O’Gara said the new poll shows clear potential for the former housing court judge to be victorious.
“The momentum is on our side; it seems like Mr. Cianci has been hovering around 38% since the day he announced,” she said. “We’re making progress every day with new endorsements, policy proposals, support in every corner of Providence, and a forward-thinking vision for our city’s future. We’re confident that as Jorge continues to unite voters with his positive message and Mr. Cianci continues to divide them with distractions and negativity, we will win the support of the city and win this race.”
Despite only earning 6% of the likely vote, Republican Dan Harrop says he remains committed to his campaign.
“With media buys set through November 4th, and public appearances and meetings almost every day, I continue to actively pursue the mayorship,” he said in a statement. “It will become apparent to the citizens of Providence that only the Republicans have realistic, workable plans to save our municipal pensions, expand educational choice in the city, reduce property taxes, eliminate the car tax, and re-establish financial stability in Providence. We intend to release an ambitious plan to attract jobs to Providence within the week. I look forward to continuing this campaign, and bringing Ethical Leadership That Cares to Providence.”
Only six weeks remain before the general election on November 4.
