Olivia Chow, Ana Bailão gaining support in Toronto mayoral race: poll
Posted April 28, 2023 12:47 pm.
Last Updated April 28, 2023 12:54 pm.
Toronto mayoral hopefuls Olivia Chow and Ana Bailão are slowly separating themselves from the pack with “solidifying support” from voters, a new poll shows.
The latest survey from Mainstreet Research was conducted from April 25 to April 26 and polled 794 residents in Toronto. Those results showed that Chow, who previously served as an NDP MP, has the support of 26 per cent of decided voters.
Chow announced her bid for the mayor’s chair on April 17, adding a highly recognizable name to the long list of candidates running in the by-election set for June 26.
Chow is seeking to reverse her fortunes after coming a distant third in the 2014 mayoral race behind runner-up Doug Ford, now Ontario’s premier, and John Tory, who was elected to three terms. She is one of the most recognizable names in a crowded field that includes Coun. Josh Matlow and Coun. Brad Bradford, ex-police chief Mark Saunders, former deputy mayor Bailão and former provincial education minister Mitzie Hunter.
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Bailão, a close political ally of Tory’s during her time in office, placed second behind Chow with 21 per cent of the vote.
Bailão represented the Toronto riding of Davenport on city council from 2010 to 2022 and acted as deputy mayor from 2017 until the end of her tenure.
Photo: QP Briefing/Mainstreet Research poll of 794 respondents.
Matlow, a self-described pragmatic progressive, is in third with 14 per cent — a drop from Mainstreet’s last poll when he received 18 per cent of the early vote. Saunders received 11 per cent of support from the 794 polled respondents, Bradford saw a slight increase with nine per cent, ahead of Hunter, with five per cent. Fourteen per cent of those surveyed said they would vote for a different candidate.
“Olivia Chow is now solidifying her support after more than a week since she formally filed to run for mayor. This continues to erode support for Matlow, who led in our polling two weeks ago,” Mainstreet Research president and CEO Quito Maggi said.
Chow has said she will focus on building a safe, affordable and caring Toronto since the city has become more expensive and less livable. Bailão has said she wants to continue working on building affordable housing and fixing services in the city she loves. She also wants to reverse public transit service cuts and offload municipal highways to the province.
Tory resigned in February 2023 after admitting to an affair with a staff member. The by-election will be held on June 26.
With files from The Canadian Press
