U.S. Rep. David Cicilline '83, D-R.I., received a 14.8 percent job approval rating in a recent University poll, reflecting an almost 10 percent decline since December, when 24.3 percent of voters supported his work.
The poll, which surveyed 514 Rhode Island registered voters, was conducted Feb. 16 to 18 by the University's Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions and the John Hazen White Public Opinion Laboratory. The poll has a roughly 4.3 percent margin of error.
Cicilline faces increased pressure from potential election challengers. Republican Brendan Doherty, the former colonel of the Rhode Island state police and superintendent of the department of public safety, has already declared his intention to challenge the incumbent in November. Doherty has focused much of his criticism of Cicilline on his record as Providence mayor, which has been called into question due to the city's ongoing fiscal challenges.
The low approval rating has also made way for another potential nomination challenger. Democrat Anthony Gemma, who lost the 2010 race for that party's nomination to Cicilline, has expressed interest in again mounting a challenge in the upcoming election. In a statement released Tuesday, Gemma called Cicilline a liar for his mishandling of Providence's finances as mayor and claimed that he has a greater chance of beating Doherty in November than Cicilline.
In a statement, Cicilline said he has not yet begun to focus on the November elections and that voters will understand what he has done for them over the past two years.
Support for contraceptive policy
The poll also found that a majority of surveyed voters support President Barack Obama's revised policy that guarantees access to contraceptive services, even for women working for religiously affiliated organizations.
According to the poll, more than 56 percent of voters approve of the policy, which requires health insurance companies to provide access to contraceptive services when a woman's employer opposes these services. The Catholic Church, which has long been an influential presence in Rhode Island, condemns contraceptive use.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence did not respond to The Herald's requests for comment.
Under the original policy outlined in Obama's 2010 health care bill, hospitals, charities and universities with religious affiliations would have been required to provide coverage for contraception services themselves, though churches would still have been exempt. Rhode Island voters felt much less favorably about the original policy than they did about its revision — with 47.5 percent in favor and 47 percent against, according to the poll.
After pressure from Catholic groups, the Obama administration amended the policy. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops remains opposed to the new policy. In a testimony before Congress on its behalf, Reverend William Lori called the final policy an act of "conscripting unwilling religious people and groups in its effort to increase the usage of contraception nationwide."
The Taubman Center tally of Rhode Island voters provides similar results to a New York Times/CBS News poll, which found that 59 percent of respondents nationwide favor the new policy, while 57 percent of Catholic voters support it.
Stormy weather
The Taubman Center poll also showed serious doubts about the leadership of Gov. Lincoln Chafee '75 P'14.
The governor's approval rating has fallen from 27.4 percent in December to 22.1 percent. The decline comes on the heels of a number of proposed tax increases by Chafee intended to raise revenue for the cash-strapped state. The initiatives have not been well-received, according to the poll — Chafee's proposal to raise taxes on restaurant meals and beverages by 3 percent has the support of only 18.1 percent of voters.
Another of Chafee's proposals — to increase the registration and renewal fees for drivers' licenses by $30 — is opposed by 67.5 percent of voters.
But the governor's proposed 4 cent per pack tax hike on cigarettes has the support of 71 percent of voters.
Chafee wrote in a statement that he sees the low approval numbers as only temporary. "We are beginning to see some improvements in both the national and regional economies. We are confident that Rhode Island is on its way back. I'm hopeful that the May revenue numbers allow us to minimize the need for dramatic core cuts to services and minimize the need to enhance revenues," he wrote.
Though the governor's approval rating has fallen, the poll showed an increase in approval for Providence Mayor Angel Taveras. Since declaring the city's precarious economic situation in February, the mayor's approval rating has risen by approximately 8 percent, falling just short of 60 percent popularity, according to the latest poll.
