A Rhode Island College public opinion survey of Republican primary voters shows that U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee and Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey are locked in a dead heat for the GOP Senate nomination.
The survey of 256 likely Rhode Island primary voters conducted between June 19 and 22 shows that 39 percent support Chafee and 38 percent would back Laffey. The poll carries a margin of error of 6 percent.
Laffey leads among men, 44 percent to 34 percent, while Chafee has the edge among women, 37 percent to 35 percent.
The survey, conducted by veteran RIC prolitical science professor Victor Profughi, also shows that Chafee does better among independents, who are eligible to vote in the GOP primary.
Chafee does much better with independents than he does with base GOP voters. For example, among unaffiliated voters, Chafee betters Laffey 49 percent to 31 percent. Among registered Republicans, Laffey leads Chafee 45 to 28.
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