Support for the Wildrose party leading up to the April 23 provincial election is particularly strong in southern Alberta, a recent poll shows.
“Traditionally, the PCs have had more support and more success, certainly in the polls in the last six months, in the central and northern areas than they have in the south, where the Wildrose has been strongest,” said Bruce Cameron, head of Return on Insight Inc.
ROI numbers indicate 52 percent of voters outside Alberta’s cities would vote for Wildrose compared to 31 percent for the Progressive Conservatives.
Read Also
Louis Dreyfus posts higher volumes, lower profits in first half
Agricultural commodity merchant Louis Dreyfus Company recorded a rise in first-half sales, supported by higher volumes shipped, but weaker prices for most crops pushed down profits, it said on Friday.
Cameron said support for party leaders is a key element.
Before the election was called and in its early stages, approval ratings for PC leader Alison Redford were strong. They have since fallen to 35 percent in areas outside cities. Her rating is higher in Calgary and Edmonton.
Wildrose leader Danielle Smith’s approval rating has remained the same in rural areas and cities at around 52 percent, Cameron said.
“Overall the two leaders are pretty close in terms of their popularity or approval but what we see is really that there’s a fairly big gap in the more positive perception of Danielle Smith outside the cities compared to Alison Redford.”
His survey showed 24 percent of voters were undecided as of last week, which Cameron said is unusually high this close to election day. Typically there are about 15 percent undecided at this point.
“I think there are a lot of people that are really agonizing over this decision,” he said. “I think it shows that this is going to be a very volatile election to try to call because I think there are a lot of votes in play.”
With the PCs and Wildrose the clear frontrunners, Cameron said strategic voting decisions are already showing themselves in Calgary, where traditional Liberal support of 20 to 30 percent has collapsed to five percent.
“Much of it has gone over to the PCs,” said Cameron. “The interesting thing is we don’t see that same type of shift yet in Edmonton. It still might happen before election day.”
