New poll shows Republican leading in Rhode Island House race: poll

Republican candidate Allan Fung holds an 8 percentage point lead over Democrat Seth Magaziner in Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District, according to a new poll.

A Suffolk University-Boston Globe poll released on Tuesday showed Fung, the former mayor of Cranston, R.I., receiving 45 percent among general election voters in the state, compared to Magaziner, the state’s general treasurer, with 37 percent. 

A separate 13 percent said they were undecided, while 5 percent said they supported independent candidate William Gilbert. 

The seat has been held by Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) for two decades, but he announced earlier this year he wouldn’t be seeking reelection, leaving the seat open. The polling demonstrates that the Rhode Island House seat could be a key pickup opportunity for Republicans in November. 

Langevin won the seat by more than 40 points in 2020, but the Cook Political Report has ranked the open seat as a “toss up.”

Fung glided through his primary last month, running unopposed, while Magaziner won his primary against several other challengers with 54 percent of the vote. 

While the seat has been within Democratic control for years, the poll indicated that national headwinds for the party could play a determining factor in the race. The poll found that 52 percent of respondents disapproved of President Biden’s job as president compared to 40 percent who approved. Biden won the state against former President Trump in 2020 with close to 60 percent of the vote. 

The Suffolk University-Boston Globe poll surveyed 422 general election voters in the state’s 2nd Congressional District from Oct. 1 to Oct. 4. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.8 percentage points.