In RI: Tea Party vs. Obama

A new Rasmussen poll is getting some attention because it shows Democrat Frank Caprio running nack-and-neck with independent Lincoln Chafee in the gubernatorial race. The poll also shows Caprio faring better than fellow Democrat Patrick Lynch in a match-up with Chafee.

A couple of observations:

• As PoliticsDaily points out, Caprio leads Lynch in part because of his claim on Republican voters: he draws 19 percent to Lynch's 7 percent.
• And how's this for an indication that the Rhode Island electoral landscape is in flux this year: the same poll asked respondents whether their views on the major issues facing the country are closer to President Obama or the average Tea Party member. Forty-nine percent picked Obama and 43 percent picked the average Tea Party member.