By Sam Wroblewski WPRO.com
It has been a hard fought summer for candidates competing for a spot in this year’s general election. Millions of dollars have been spent and plenty of mud has been slung in almost all the major state races.
But now that the polls are open, what are some of the big questions voters will answer at the ballot box?
Will Raimondo’s lead hold?
General Treasurer Gina Raimondo has consistently been labeling herself as the “jobs candidate” in the Democratic race, touting her own experience as a business leader and a reformer with the determination to turn the Ocean State around. While some of her advertisements have appeared spotty at times, Raimondo has stayed on-message for the better part of a year.
And it seems to have paid off.
Raimondo was the recipient of good news last month when a WPRI/Providence Journal poll showed her leading the pack in the Democratic primary race for governor. However the amount of undecided voters (12.9%), plus the margin for error, makes this race anybody’s game.
Can Taveras bounce back from the Pell surge?
Providence Mayor Angel Taveras for the past year has been considered the immediate challenger to Gina Raimondo for the governorship, however Clay seemingly came out of nowhere in early August and statistically tied Taveras for second place.
Taveras has struggled against the fund raising ability of Raimondo and the personal wealth of Pell, putting greater emphasis on his door-to-door ground game as the primary neared.
However enough undecided voters remain that Taveras could potentially seize the day when the polls close. Taveras also said he is hoping a high turnout in Providence will boost his chances.
Who will it be? Block or Fung?
The Republican race for governor has perhaps been the muddiest of the whole season. Both candidates have gotten their hands dirty attempting to dig into each other to get a leg-up in the race.
Block has presented himself as an outsider who can fix the system, Fung as a proven political reformer.
Both candidates say they are confident and without any public polling data to back up their assertions, it remains to be seen who will come out on top.
Will Smiley’s exit from the Providence mayoral race be enough to help Elorza?
When Brett Smiley announced he was dropping out of the race and endorsing Elorza, both men said it was to combat the “Know a Guy” culture of Rhode Island and stymie the campaigns of both Michael Solomon and Buddy Cianci.
But will it be enough?
Solomon has been a strong contender with a good ground game and lots of name recognition in the city.
