Internal Memo Lays Out Rhode Island Republican’s Winnability in Blue District

Republican Allan Fung is “extremely well positioned” to win in Rhode Island’s blue-leaning Second Congressional District, according to an internal “state of the race” memo obtained by Breitbart News.

The memo was recently circulated among donors by AM Strategies, a consulting firm working for Fung, and points to polling, fundraising numbers, and Democrat vulnerabilities as evidence Fung is the most winnable candidate in the race.

“This is one of the first times in recent memory that Rhode Island has been in play, exemplifying the overall political climate that has swung historically towards the GOP,” AM Strategies states.

Read a copy of the memo below:

The firm cites a Public Opinion Strategies poll from May and a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll from June, both of which show Fung ahead of his closest Democrat competitor, Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner.

“National trends bode poorly for national Democrats in Rhode Island’s 2nd District,” AM Strategies goes on to state, noting President Joe Biden’s dismal approval ratings and the economy’s continuously crippling inflation rates.

The memo also highlights that the Democrat primary in Rhode Island’s Second District is a competitive six-way race, whereas Fung is currently running unopposed.

These two differing primary scenes suggest Fung is on a glide path to Rhode Island’s late primary date of September 13, while the Democrat candidates must devote resources to competing with one another.

Fung reported raising more than half a million dollars in this year’s first quarter, a record haul for a Rhode Island Republican congressional candidate. Fung is now sitting on more than $750,000 in cash on hand “with no need to spend in a costly primary,” AM Strategies contends. The most recent federal data shows Magaziner has $1.3 million on hand, with a potentially expensive few months of campaigning ahead.

In terms of Magaziner’s vulnerabilities, AM Strategies notes the Rhode Island Democrat does not live in the Second District, has marched alongside “defund the police” protesters, and has campaigned with “many unpopular national Democrat figures.”

By contrast, Fung, a former mayor of Cranston for 12 years and two-time gubernatorial candidate, enjoys 94 percent name recognition in the Second District and left his post as mayor with more than an 80 percent approval rating, per AM Strategies. Cranston is the Second District’s most populous city.

The Second District itself is the less blue district of the Ocean State’s two and covers the western portion of the state. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) represented the district for more than 20 years before announcing in January he would not seek reelection.

AM Strategies’ assessment of the race comes after D.C. insider outlet Politico warned Monday that the district was flippable, reporting that “Biden’s toxicity has given the GOP optimism about seriously contesting a fresh crop of about a dozen seats that the president won in 2020 by 9 points or more — from western Rhode Island to California’s Central Valley to the suburbs of Arizona’s capital.”