PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Myrth York leads Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse and former House Finance chairman Antonio Pires in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, according to a new public opinion survey by researchers at Brown University. In addition, Congressman Patrick Kennedy is ahead of each of his GOP challengers in the first congressional district.

Job approval ratings have dropped sharply for Gov. Lincoln Almond, compared to September 2001, and approval ratings for indicted Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. rose slightly during the same period.

The survey was conducted January 26-28, 2002 at Brown University by Darrell M. West, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy and the John Hazen White, Sr. Public Opinion Laboratory. It is based on a statewide random sample of 461 registered voters in Rhode Island. Overall, the poll had a margin of error of about plus or minus five percentage points.

In the 2002 race for the Democratic nomination for governor, 36 percent of the 249 likely primary voters say they plan to vote for York (the party's nominee in 1994 and 1998), 27 percent indicate they will vote for Whitehouse, 11 percent name Pires, and 26 percent are undecided. In September, 2001, 15 percent of the likely primary voters planned to vote for York, 14 percent said they would vote for Whitehouse, 11 percent named they would vote for Lieutenant Governor Charles Fogarty (who since has announced he was not running for governor), 4 percent indicated Pires, and 56 percent were undecided.

Among the 233 first district voters, Congressman Patrick Kennedy leads each of his three Republican challengers. If the GOP nominee is Mike Battles, Kennedy is ahead by 52 to 25 percent, with 23 percent undecided. If the challenger is Christine Ferguson, Kennedy leads by 50 to 27 percent, with 23 percent undecided. If the Republican nominee is Dave Rogers, Kennedy is favored by 50 to 25 percent, with 25 percent undecided.

In the contest for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State, 19 percent of the 250 likely primary voters say they support Matt Brown, 19 percent favor current Secretary of State Ed Inman, and 62 percent are undecided.

There has been a sharp drop in the job approval of Governor Lincoln Almond. Thirty-four percent give Governor Lincoln Almond excellent or good ratings for how he is handling his job, compared to 35 percent who say it is only fair, 22 percent who believe it is poor, and 9 percent who are uncertain. In September, 50 percent gave Almond excellent or good marks.

Lieutenant Governor Charles Fogarty is rated excellent or good by 43 percent of voters (down from 46 percent last September). Sixty percent give excellent or good marks to Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse (up from 55 percent). Secretary of State Ed Inman is rated favorably by 33 percent of voters (down from 36 percent), and Treasurer Paul Tavares has a 42 percent job approval rating (up from 41 percent last time). Thirty-one percent rate Senate Majority Leader William Irons as doing a good or excellent job, up from 19 percent in June, 2001 (the last time his performance was measured). Twenty-six percent say House Speaker John Harwood is doing a good or excellent job, up from 18 percent last June. However, 23 percent rate his performance only fair and 18 percent say it has been poor.

In regard to federal officials, 75 percent believe President George W. Bush is doing a good or excellent job, 14 percent rate his performance only fair, and 5 percent indicate his performance has been poor. In September, 68 percent rated his job performance as good or excellent. Sixty percent say the job performance of Senator Lincoln Chafee has been excellent or good (down from 62 percent). Seventy-three percent give excellent or good marks to Senator Jack Reed (up from 62 percent). Sixty-two percent believe Congressman James Langevin is doing an excellent or good job (up from 54 percent). Fifty percent believe Congressman Kennedy is doing an excellent or good job (up from 42 percent in September).

Despite being under federal indictment for public corruption, 63 percent believe Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci is doing a good or excellent job. This number is up slightly from the 61 percent who rated his job performance as good or excellent in September.

Fifty-two percent feel the state is headed in the right direction, while 29 percent believe it is off on the wrong track. Last September, 63 percent claimed Rhode Island was moving in the right direction, and 17 percent felt it was on the wrong track.

There has been another drop in confidence about the state economy. Our Index of Consumer Sentiment for Rhode Island this month was 69.5, down from 75.1 in September, 86.5 in June, 2001, 97.9 in February, 2000 and 106.3 in January, 1999. This means consumer optimism has dropped by 7 percent over the last few months and 35 percent since the beginning of 1999. The index is modeled after five questions from a national index developed at the University of Michigan and is used to determine over time how optimistic people are.

When asked what was the most important problem facing the state of Rhode Island today, voters named the following issues: 18% unemployment and jobs, 8% the economy, 8% education, 7% government performance, 6% ethics and corruption, 5% health care, 5% government budget and deficit, 5% taxes, 3% housing, 3% crime, 2% business climate (all others under 2%).

For more information, contact Darrell M. West at (401) 863-1163 or see the website: www.InsidePolitics.org.