Sep 12, 2012
State of Play in Rhode Island’s 1st District
Coming off a 30 point primary victory last night, David Cicilline enters the general election in a strong position to win this heavily Democratic district in November. The newly-drawn 1st congressional district, which comprises parts of Providence and the eastern part of the state, is heavily Democratic. Party registration favors Democrats by 33 percentage points (43% Democrats, 10% Republicans). Furthermore, in 2008, then-Senator Obama won 68% of the two-party vote; Senator Kerry won 64% of the two-party vote in 2004.
A just released automated poll from the DCCC shows Cicilline leading Republican challenger Brendan Doherty 49-43. With nearly all voters having an opinion of the incumbent, there is little room for movement in the last 8 weeks.
Brendan Doherty can’t overcome his party losing the top of the ticket by more than 30 points. The extreme anti-woman platform of Doherty’s party, and his support for his ticket mate, Congressman Paul Ryan, the architect of the Republican plan to end Medicare, puts Doherty out of step with this district. Brendan Doherty agrees with the extreme Tea party wing of his party that we should raise the retirement age for Social Security while cutting taxes for millionaires. These kinds of anti-middle class positions make it extremely tough to win over an overwhelmingly Democratic district.
###
Want the latest updates? Follow the DCCC on Facebook and Twitter:
