If polling trend continues, B.C. election could be ‘two-horse race’

The B.C. Conservatives' internal bickering has helped lift the governing B.C. Liberals to their highest level of support since November, 2011, a new poll shows. But the Angus Reid poll shows the gap is still wide, with the B.C. New Democrats holding a comfortable lead of 18 percentage points.

"We've got a bit of a comeback for the Liberals, a solidification of the centre-right vote," said Mario Canseco, vice-president of Angus Reid Public Opinion. If the trend continues steadily until the election next May, "you could get to a two-horse race."

Since May, the NDP has been polling at between 45 and 50 per cent, and the survey taken Nov. 21 and 22 shows the party at 47 per cent of decided voters. The Liberals have climbed to 29 per cent, up three points since the last survey in early October. That gain has come in part from the decline of the BC Conservatives, who dropped from 16 points down to 12 amid a messy leadership squabble. The survey of 800 voters has a margin of error of 3.5 per cent.