Andrea Horwath may have the highest approval rating among Ontario party leaders, but Doug Ford will likely become Premier in June, says a new poll. Of the 1,637 Ontario voters surveyed online between March 12 and 14, Campaign Research found that 43 per cent of voters intended to support the Ontario Progressive Conservatives in the June election, compared the 27 per cent of decided voters support the sitting Liberal party, and 23 per cent supporting the NDP. Premier Kathleen Wynne’s net approval rating was found to have dropped 50 per cent, with almost 70 per cent stating they disapproved of her, and only 19 per cent approving of her. Horwath’s net approval rating increased by the largest margin (17 per cent), with 36 per cent of those stating they approved of her — although 44 per cent said they didn’t know. Horwath has growing net approval numbers among Liberal Party voters (18 per cent) and Conservative voters (19 per cent).Of those surveyed, 31 per cent said they approved of Ford, with 44 per cent also saying they didn’t know. In 2017, Horwath consistently had the strongest approval ratings, said Eli Yufest, CEO of Campaign Research, which performs these surveys on a monthly basis. “She’s always the strongest among party leaders,” he said. “The main issue holding her back is the party. The (NDP) party has very poor equity, a very poor history among the electorate ...(voters) don’t see the party as an alternative but they like (Horwath).” Unlike Horwath, Wynne’s personal approval rating “has always performed poorly,” said Yufest. “It’s the inverse of what (Horwath) is experiencing. People don’t like Kathleen Wynne personally but the Liberal party brand is strong.” The dynamic, however, is shifting with Ford taking the mantle of Ontario PC leadership. “We’ve got a well known person in Doug Ford,” said Yufest. “We have strong awaren ...
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