Brad Bradford cuts into Olivia Chow's lead for Toronto mayor: poll
· Toronto Sun
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Brad Bradford is closing the gap on mayoral incumbent Olivia Chow ahead of this month’s municipal elections, according to a recent poll.
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A random sampling of 1,604 Toronto voters conducted by The Forum Poll found Chow with 46% support and Bradford close behind with 42% support.
Forum Research said 12% of the electorate would vote for someone else.
The choice for mayor among the more than 50 candidates has mainly been a two-horse race between Chow and Bradford, who has represented Ward 19 Beaches–East York since 2018.
Conservative MP Chris Alexander, who campaigned on building more affordable homes and fixing transit, exited the race on Tuesday .
However, Alexander’s name will still be on the ballot as the last day to completely withdraw from the race was Aug. 21.
Mayoral race has tightened
Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research, said in a news release that the mayoral race has tightened since the last poll on Sept. 25, which showed Chow with an 11-point lead over Bradford.
“The latest results point to a much closer contest between the two leading candidates,” Bozinoff said.
The pollster conducted the survey Tuesday among randomly selected Toronto residents over the age of 18, with 78% of respondents contacted on a cellphone and 22% on landlines.
Top candidates clashed at debate
Meanwhile, Chow and Bradford clashed during a debate Tuesday evening at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Chow made claims about her record as mayor on housing, taxes and affordability while Bradford promised a freeze on property taxes, lower water bills and a line-by-line audit of city spending.
Residents go to the polls on Oct. 26.