On the eve of the election, multiple polls put Premier Doug Ford far ahead of the competition, despite years of lockdowns and mandates.
According to an Abacus poll published today, the Ford’s Progressive Conservative (PC) Party is sitting pretty at 40 per cent, 13 points above their biggest competition, the Ontario Liberals (27 per cent) and 18 points above the NDP (22 per cent).
Interestingly, though it won’t likely affect the outcome of this election, the New Blue Party, an alternative pro-freedom party, has managed to make it on the top five list, tying with the Green Party at 4 per cent.
The poll also found that the PCs are leading regardless of gender for those over 30, with more men (45 per cent) and women (35 per cent) favouring the party in the province above the Liberals.
A Leger poll conducted between May 27 to 30 and published today produced a similar result, with the PCs sitting at 40 per cent, 15 points above the Ontario Liberals (25 per cent) and 16 points above the NDP (24 per cent).
While some polls vary, there is no disputing that Ford is a favourite going into the election (insofar as polls can be trusted).
Throughout the pandemic, Ford’s approval rating has fluctuated and was on a downward trend going into election season.
Following the announcement of renewed school closures in January, Ford’s approval rating dropped by 6 points compared to the previous month to 46 per cent. The trend continued well into March, leaving him with a 37 per cent approval rating, barely enough to retain a majority if an election was held then.
Much of Ford’s abysmal approval rating comes from Ford’s pandemic policies, which saw two years of prolonged lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and even police checkpoints set up.
The decisions were extremely unpopular and remained so, so it’s a wonder how Ford has kept his head above water. Or at least it would be a wonder if Ford’s opposition wasn’t outright promising to return Ontarians to a state of mandates and restrictions if given the opportunity.
Indeed, it appears that Ford is going to win the election simply to avoid a future scenario like the one experienced in the province under Ford. It’s irony of the highest order, but, left with three bad choices with a chance of winning, Ontarians appear willing to check off on the best of the worst.
