Poll: Clinton, Trump lead in Rhode Island

April 24, 2016 10:54 pm

By: Melissa Randall

mrandall@abc6.com

@MRandallABC6

A new poll done by Brown University’s Taubman Center finds that among likely voters in Tuesday’s presidential primary, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump maintain their leads. The survey also found though, that one in six voters remain undecided at this point. ABC6 News spoke to James Morone, a political science professor and director of the Taubman Center about the findings.

In the Democratic primary race, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders 43 to 34 percent with 16 percent undecided. Morone says that is a high level of undecided voters’ right before the election. So, who makes up the undecided voters?

"They’re the independent voters. As most people know in Rhode Island independents are allowed to choose which primary they are voting in. So independents, who told us they are going to vote in the democratic primary, are breaking for Bernie Sanders 2:1," said Morone.

Morone tells us that campaign visits will play a big role in helping undecided voters make their decisions. Right now, he says, either candidate could win.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump leads with 38 percent of likely voters, followed by John Kasich with 25 percent, Ted Cruz at 14 percent and 17 percent undecided.

"Trump has won over the Republican party. That’s the interesting thing. He’s over 50% with people who have registered as Republicans," said Morone. "But you ask independents who are you for? They are split evenly—exactly evenly to the decimal point between Trump and Kasich. So Trump I would predict will squeak through."

The question remains though, will Ocean State voters go to the poll on Tuesday? Many of the Presidential candidates have made stops in Rhode Island over the weekend, including Gov. John Kasich, Hillary Clinton, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, and more visits are planned for Monday including one from Donald Trump, which Morone says could drive numbers up.

"On the other hand, people are getting pretty sick and tired of this campaign. It’s gone on and on. I have people teaching political science up at Brown that are saying ‘I’ve had enough’. So, we’ll have to watch the fatigue factor," he told ABC6 News.

***The poll surveyed a random sample of 600 registered voters in the state who are likely to vote in the presidential primaries. The overall margin of error is 4%.