The Rhode Island Republican Party took note of a poll released yesterday by Brown University, with Party Chair Giovanni Cicione commenting that “it should send a clear signal to Attorney General Patrick Lynch that the voters of Rhode Island are starting to see the truth about him and his cronies and that they don’t like what they see.”

    In May 2009, Attorney General Lynch had a job approval rating of 47% (the combined excellent and good percentage) and a negative rating of 39% (the combined fair and poor percentages) or a net positive rating of 8%.  Now, a little over six months later, Mr. Lynch has a job approval rating of 38% and a negative rating of 47% or a net negative rating of 9%.  This flip is a huge swing of 17% over a seven month period.  Nearly one in five voters has changed their minds about Lynch. 

    Although some of Rhode Island federal elected officials saw their approval ratings decline, none matched Mr. Lynch.  It is telling that none of the other elected officials to statewide office saw such a dramatic change over the same period.  For example, Lt. Governor Roberts went from 22% approval rating and 36% disapproval rating in May to 22% approval rating and 37% disapproval rating in December.  Governor Carcieri went from a 36% approval rating and 59% disapproval rating in May to 37% approval rating and 56% disapproval rating in December.  General Treasurer Caprio only saw a slight decline.  He went from a 41% approval rating and 24% disapproval rating in May to a 39% approval and 26% disapproval rating in December. 

    “Clearly Mr. Lynch’s approval rating is in the dump”, said Cicione, “because of the revelations and negative publicity regarding Lynch’s out of state travels, the related complaints filed by the RIGOP against Mr. Lynch at the Board of Elections and Ethics Commission relating to those trips, and the total inaction by the Mr. Lynch in stopping corruption at Rhode Island’s dump, the Johnston Landfill.”  “If Mr. Lynch seriously expects the voters to consider him as a credible candidate for Governor, he will need to take a break from the junkets and fundraising tours and instead stay in Rhode Island to start addressing the waste and corruption perpetrated by political insiders.”

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