Toronto mayoral candidates George Smitherman, left, and Rob Ford leave a debate.Kevin Van Paassen
Mayoral candidates Rob Ford and George Smitherman remain locked in a tight battle for the mayor's chair, according to a Leger Marketing poll, which put the two within the margin of error.
Thirty-one per cent of the 600 Torontonians surveyed plan to vote for Mr. Smitherman, compared to 30 per cent for Mr. Ford. Deputy mayor Joe Pantalone garnered 10 per cent of the vote. Eighteen per cent of those polled said they're still on the fence.
When the question was between Mr. Smitherman and Mr. Ford, the deputy mayor wins handily -- garnering 42 per cent compared to 36 per cent for Mr. Ford. But the Etobicoke councillor had the most support when voters were asked who was most likely to bring change to City Hall - 47 per cent compared to 23 per cent for Mr. Smitherman.
Leger pollster Dave Scholz noted the survey also noted differences in what's motivating supporters of each of the frontrunners. While many of Mr. Smitherman's fans demonstrated a more detailed interest in the election, many of Mr. Ford's supporters had actually turned to him because they were turned off by the anti-Ford push instigated by his surge in the polls in September.
"Because Ford has been the frontrunner for so long and its been an "anyone but Ford" campaign for a while, he gets a lot of people to vote for him because of the negativity that's been piled on him. But that's not neces a positive vote: They'renot voting for him or his program, they're voting for him based on the way this race has been run."
With the Oct. 25 election just four days away and multiple recent polls indicating Mr. Smitherman and Mr. Ford locked in a dead heat, the candidates have been endeavouring both to reach out to undecided voters and mobilize supporters to ensure they get to the polls Monday (more than 60 per cent of Torontonians didn't bother casting a ballot in the 2006 municipal election). And while Mr. Smitherman has been painting himself as the only candidate who can beat the bombastic Mr. Ford, Mr. Pantalone has steadfastly insisted he's the only one of the three with a progressive vision.