Calgary mayoral race remains tight with many undecided voters: poll – Calgary
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Calgarians head to the polls on Oct. 20 and new polling shows a tight race in the campaign to be Calgary’s next mayor.
According to a new poll from Leger, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek leads amongst decided voters with 15 per cent support, followed by her 2021 mayoral campaign rival Jeromy Farkas at 14 per cent, Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp at eight per cent, former city councillor Jeff Davison at six per cent and mayoral race newcomer Brian Thiessen at three per cent.
However, 45 per cent of Calgary voters remain undecided with just over six weeks until election day.
“That’s important because it means no one has locked in their support to any one person and this race is really wide open over the coming weeks for anyone to make some pretty big moves,” said Allison Watson, Leger’s vice-president of Public Affairs and Communications.
According to Leger, Calgarians are already engaged in this election campaign, with 75 per cent of respondents saying they’re likely to cast a ballot on Oct. 20.
The poll also indicates there is high public awareness of the mayoral candidates, with Gondek leading at 74 per cent, followed by Farkas at 60 per cent, Sharp at 43 per cent, Davison at 41 per cent and Thiessen at 22 per cent.
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“It’s going to be probably one of the most competitive elections that Calgary has seen in recent years,” Watson said.
However, the poll shows Farkas leads when it comes to approval from voters at 49 per cent, with Sharp just one point behind, followed by Davison at 47 per cent, Gondek at 37 per cent and Thiessen at 27 per cent.
“It’s been 45 years since an incumbent for mayor lost,” said Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount-Royal University in Calgary. “The more candidates there are, the better Gondek’s chances are.
“There’s a lot of people who will never vote for Jyoti Gondek, but there’s people that will and in a large pool you don’t need 50 per cent, you might not even need 40 per cent.”
Leger also asked respondents about their top issues heading into October’s vote, with lowering taxes topping the list at 43 per cent, reducing spending at 25 per cent and reducing poverty at 23 per cent to round out the top three issues.
However, 57 per cent of those surveyed felt Calgary is on the wrong track, while just one-third believe it is headed in the right direction. Respondents over the age of 55 were more likely to have a negative sentiment about the city’s direction.
According to Watson, that data suggests a desire for change amongst respondents.
“They do want change,” she said. “They’re just not sure yet who they want to lead the city forward in that change.”
The online poll was conducted by Leger with 471 voting aged Calgarians between August 22 and 25. It has a margin of error of ±4.5% (19 times out of 20)
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