New poll has Chow with a ‘smaller cushion’ of 7-point lead over Bradford among decided voters in Toronto

Olivia Chow has a 7-point lead over Brad Bradford among decided and leaning voters according to a new Liason Strategies poll on the upcoming Toronto mayoral election.

David Valentin, Principal at Liason Strategies says Chow’s cushion is smaller.

“Her lead has gone from 11 points to seven, with Chow down three points and Bradford up one. It’s a closer result, but not enough to establish a new trend,” Valentin said. “Bradford has gained some ground without overtaking the mayor.”

According to Liason Strategies, Chow 47 per cent of voters surveyed said they would vote for Chow, while 40 per cent would vote for Brad Bradford, and 10 per cent would vote for Chris Alexander

In Liaison’s September 9 release, Chow stood at 50 per cent, Bradford at 39 per cent, and Alexander at 10 per cent.

Fierce competition in North York, Scarborough

Liason Strategies says they found the most competitive parts of the city are in North York and Scarborough.

Chow leads Bradford 46 per cent to 41 per cent in North York and 46 per cent to 43 per cent in Scarborough.

Meanwhile, in Downtown, Chow has a comfortable lead of 60 per cent to Bradford’s 27 per cent. However, Bradford has a lead in Etobicoke with 54 per cent to Chow’s 33 per cent.

“There is also a sharp age divide,” Valentin said.

According to the recent poll, Bradford has 47 per cent among decided and leaning voters aged 18 to 34, compared with 41 per cent for Chow. Among those aged 35 to 49, Chow leads 57 per cent to 33 per cent.

Affordability top of mind for voters

The poll, released early Tuesday shows that 23 per cent of voters say the cost of living is their first issue.

“Voters are describing the cost of living in Toronto, not just the cost of city government,” said Valentin. “The priorities also vary across the city. Housing leads Downtown at 25 per cent. In North York, cost of living leads at 27 per cent. Etobicoke is more evenly divided among cost of living at 22 per cent, traffic at 21 per cent, and public safety at 20 per cent.”

The most common second issue, according to the poll, is crime and public safety, followed by housing.