61% Think State Headed in Wrong Direction, Voters Oppose Community Use of Flock Cameras
The final Emerson College Polling/WPRI-TV 12 News survey of the Democratic primary for Rhode Island Governor finds incumbent Dan McKee trailing Helena Foulkes, 45% to 30%, while 25% are undecided. Since May, Foulkes’ support increased five points, from 40% to 45%, and McKee’s support increased ten points, from 20% to 30%. With undecided voters’ support accounted for, Foulkes’ lead increases to 22 points, 61% to 39%.
“Governor McKee has a base among primary voters without a college degree (61%) and union members (40%), but not enough at this point to overtake Foulkes’ plurality support among voters over 50, at 48%.” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said.
Governor McKee has a 22% favorable rating among voters, while 61% have an unfavorable view of the Governor. Foulkes has a 34% favorable rating, while 37% have an unfavorable view of her.
“Both McKee and Foulkes are underwater with Rhode Island voters,” Kimball noted. “Foulkes has weathered the negative campaign season better among Democratic Primary voters, 44% favorable and 34% unfavorable, while McKee is still underwater among these voters, 27% favorable and 59% unfavorable.”
Compared to the May poll, Foulkes’ favorable number rose from 27% to 34%, while McKee’s was stable from 21% to 22%. Foulkes’ unfavorable increased from 29% to 37%, while McKee’s unfavorable was also stable, from 60% to 61%.
President Trump holds a 30% approval rating among Rhode Island voters, while 63% disapprove of the job the president is doing.
In Rhode Island’s First Congressional District, Rep. Gabe Amo holds a 38% job approval rating, while 32% disapprove and 30% are neutral. In the Second Congressional District, 39% approve of Rep. Seth Magaziner, and 38% disapprove; 23% are neutral.
In the race for Lieutenant Governor, 20% support Sabina Matos, 18% Xay Khamsyvoravong, 9% Cindy Coyne, and 8% Sue AnderBois. A plurality (43%) are undecided. In the race for Attorney General, 24% support Kim Ahern, 18% Keith Hoffmann, 14% Joe Solomon Jr., 9% Jason Knight, and a plurality (35%) are also undecided.
Looking ahead to the November general election, Foulkes performs slightly better than McKee on the ballot against the generic Republican nominee and three independent candidates.
With Foulkes on the ballot, 45% support Foulkes, 21% support independent Ken Block, 18% support the Republican, and 14% are undecided. With McKee on the ballot, 36% support McKee, 26% support independent Block, 17% support the generic Republican, and 19% are undecided.
Voters oppose their community using installed automated cameras that police use to photograph vehicles and record license plates, often called Flock cameras: 55% to 31%. Thirteen percent are neutral or unsure.
Voters were asked if they approve or disapprove of Governor McKee’s handling of the Washington Bridge crisis as Governor, and Foulkes’s handling of the opioid crisis as CVS executive. Eighteen percent approve and 63% disapprove of McKee’s handling of the bridge crisis as Governor. Fifteen percent approve and 46% disapprove of Foulkes’ handling of the opioid crisis as CVS executive.
Half of Rhode Island voters (50%) think the state should keep the legal holiday name “Victory Day” for the second Monday of August, while 17% think it should rename the holiday, 22% get rid of the holiday, and 11% are neutral.
Methodology
The Emerson College Polling/WPRI-TV 12 News Rhode Island survey was conducted August 21-22, 2026. The overall sample of likely voters, n=1,000, has a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error (MOE), of +/- 3 percent. The sample of likely Democratic Primary voters, n=528, has a credibility interval of +/- 4.2 percent. The data sets were weighted by gender, education, race, age, 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, and 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 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 survey was sponsored by WPRI-TV 12 News.
