Plan B Forum

John Tory cements lead over Rob Ford as Olivia Chow’s campaign implodes in Toronto mayor’s race, new poll finds

John Tory has cemented his lead over Rob Ford in the Toronto mayoral race, while former front-runner Olivia Chow’s campaign sputters, a new poll suggests.

The Forum Research poll found 40% of the Toronto electorate supports Mr. Tory, with Rob Ford in a distant second with 28% and Ms. Chow with 21%.

“John Tory is clearly solidifying his lead as the campaign rolls into its final month,” Forum president Lorne Bozinoff said in a news release.

The Forum poll validated last week’s data from Nanos Research, which also marked Mr. Tory as a clear frontrunner with 42% share of the voting public. In that Sept. 2 poll, Rob Ford had the same 28% support and Chow followed closely with 26%.

But as little as two months ago, Forum poll data showed Ms. Chow leading the race.

The last Forum poll, conducted two weeks ago, saw Mr. Ford only three points behind Mr. Tory. But the latest data has Mr. Tory defeating the incumbent in every poll question, including who would best handle the city’s budget — “which always
used to be Rob Ford’s strength,” Mr. Bozinoff noted.

“This may be an indication that voters are finally paying attention to the ‘Ford Math,’ which rarely adds up, according to the experts,” he said. [Yeah, but Rob knows how many grams there are in an Eight Ball...]

Long Run wrote:Another Ford Edsel in the making.

Toronto’s scandal-plagued mayor underwent multiple CT scans of his abdomen and chest, a biopsy and an ultrasound exam Thursday after being transferred to a second hospital for treatment of a suspected tumor.