Voters Support Nuclear Energy, Oppose Data Centers
A new Emerson College Polling/WPRI-TV 12 News survey finds Democrat Helena Foulkes with 44% support, 35% independent Ken Block, and 10% Republican Aaron Guckian. Nine percent are undecided.
Foulkes enters the general election with a split favorability: 38% have a favorable view of the Democratic nominee and 39% have an unfavorable view. Twenty percent are neutral, and 2% have not heard of her. A plurality (46%) have a favorable view of independent Block, while 19% have an unfavorable view of him. Twenty-six percent are neutral, and 9% have never heard of Block. Republican Guckian has the lowest name recognition, with 18% favorable, 38% unfavorable, 30% neutral, and 14% never heard of.
“Helena Foulkes leads the election for Governor, with her strongest support among Democrats (77%), voters under 50 (59%) and women (53%). Ken Block leads among independents (46%), men (47%) and voters 60 and older (48%),” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said.
“Among undecided voters, 42% lean toward Foulkes, compared with 34% for Block and 19% for Guckian. If undecided voters break as they currently lean, Foulkes would reach about 48%. To close her nine-point lead, Block would need to gain ground with undecided voters and win over almost all of Guckian’s supporters.”
In the race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Democrat Jack Reed leads Republican Ray McKay, 59% to 25%. Seven percent support independent Michael Bahry and 9% are undecided.
The race for Lieutenant Governor is a toss-up: 45% support Republican John Loughlin and 44% support incumbent Democrat Sabina Matos.
In the first congressional district, 54% support incumbent Democrat Gabe Amo, 26% Republican Kellie Keenan, and 6% independent Pedro DeSouza. Fourteen percent are undecided. In the second district, 55% support Democrat Seth Magaziner, 39% Republican Vic Mellor, and 6% are undecided.
Democratic nominee for Providence Mayor David Morales has an 18% favorable rating statewide, and 40% unfavorable. Twenty-eight percent are neutral, and 14% have not heard of him.
Voters oppose data center construction in Rhode Island 53% to 30%, while 12% are neutral and 5% are unsure.
Voters support the construction of a nuclear energy plant in Rhode Island to help supply electricity to the state 50% to 29%, while 14% are neutral and 7% unsure.
Regarding what issue voters want the next Governor and General Assembly to work on in 2027, taxes and state spending top the list at 20%, followed by housing costs (17%), electricity and utility bills (16%), jobs/the economy (14%), and healthcare (10%). Other issues include roads/bridges (6%), immigration (6%), K-12 schools (4%), crime (4%), and the environment (3%).
Methodology
The Emerson College Polling/WPRI-TV 12 News Rhode Island survey was conducted October 8-11, 2026. The overall sample of Rhode Island likely voters, n=800, has a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error (MOE), of +/- 3.5 percent. The data sets were weighted by gender, education, party registration, and region based on U.S. Census parameters and voter file data.
It is important to remember that subsets based on demographics, such as gender, age, education, and race/ethnicity, carry with them higher credibility intervals, as the sample size is reduced. Survey results should be understood within the poll’s range of scores, and with a confidence interval of 95% a poll will fall outside the range of scores 1 in 20 times.
Data was collected by contacting registered voters from a voter file provided by Aristotle using MMS text-to-web, probability-based panel of voters provided by Consensus Strategies using MMS text-to-web, and additional panel interviews provided by PureSpectrum. The survey was hosted on QuestionPro.
All respondents were recruited using customized links that prevent responses from anyone outside of the poll’s sample frame. Panel responses were matched to the Aristotle voter file using respondents’ full name and ZIP code. The survey was administered using QuestionPro, and the survey was offered in English.
All questions asked in this survey with exact wording and order, along with full results, demographics, and cross tabulations can be found below. The poll was sponsored by WPRI-TV 12 News.
