New polling suggests support for Doug Ford has all but collapsed

Premier Doug Ford’s support continues to decline and based on the numbers, the premier’s rating has now fallen even lower than Kathleen Wynne’s before the last election.

The poll also found Liberal voters say Toronto Mayor John Tory is their most preferred choice to lead the Ontario Liberal Party.

Those are the findings from the Mainstreet Research’s latest Ontario survey, which surveyed 996 Ontarians between May 21 to 22. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.1% and is accurate 19 times out of 20.

“More and more Ontarians are turning away from Doug Ford as his support is collapsing,” said Quito Maggi, President and CEO of Mainstreet Research.

“We have never seen an incumbent premier reach these depths in popular opinion with barely a year into his mandate.”

Ontario Polling:

LIB: 39.9%
NDP: 24.2%
PC: 22.4%
Green: 11.7%
Other: 1.8%

Mainstreet Research / May 22nd / 996 Respondents / IVR / MOE 3.1%#onpoli #cdnpoli

— Polling Canada (@CanadianPolling) May 23, 2019

According to Mainstreet Research, Ford has a net favorability rating of -53.5%.

By comparison, Wynne’s net favourability rating stood at -35.3% on April 30, 2018. NDP leader Andrea Horwath’s net rating is +20.3%, interim Liberal leader John Fraser’s net rating is +7.4%, while Green Party leader Mike Schreiner has a net rating of +11.4%.

See also

• City of Toronto starts petition demanding Ford government to reverse funding cuts
• 86% of Torontonians oppose Doug Ford's cuts to public health
• Tory: It's an 'unprecedented time' in Toronto following Ford's $177M budget cuts

Participants who said they would vote liberal today were asked who they prefer as premier, 65% of respondents said John Tory, while 5.2% say they would prefer former cabinet minister Sandra Pupatello.

Declared candidates Steven Del Duca and Michael Coteau have 3.3% and 5%, respectively, while former education minister, Mitzie Hunter, has 11.1%.

However, 54% of liberal voters said they were “undecided” about who the next leader of Ontario should be.

Respondents were also presented with different ballot scenarios featuring Tory, Pupatello, Del Duca, Hunter, and Coteau as potential Ontario Liberal leaders. The poll found:

• 39.1% said that they would vote Liberal if Tory was elected
• 29.6% said they would vote Liberal if Pupatello was elected
• 27.8% would vote Liberal if Del Duca was elected
• 28.1% would vote Liberal if Coteau was elected
• 28% said they would vote Liberal if Hunter was elected

“Only John Tory is outperforming the current Liberal number, indicating that he is the only potential leadership candidate that can add some value to the Ontario Liberal brand at this moment,” added Maggi.

This poll comes as tensions continue to build between Ford and Tory over the PC’s drastic $177 million in cuts to public health.

On Thursday, the City of Toronto launched an online petition demanding the province reverse its funding cuts. As of Friday, more than 22,000 people have signed the petition, according to the mayor.

In the first two days, more than 22,000 people have signed Toronto’s petition asking the provincial government to stop these retroactive cuts to essential City services. Make your voice heard – sign the petition today at https://t.co/0AhBm2ZFA6

— John Tory (@JohnTory) May 24, 2019