[LINK] "New poll has Wynne’s Liberals leading, but still looking at minority"

[rfmcdonald]

The Globe and Mail's Adrian Morrow reports on the strength of the Liberals. Premier Wynne is well-liked and visible, whereas the Tory's Hudak isn't very personable and I don't think enough people think a NDP government is a good idea.

Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals are holding on to a steady lead in popular support, a new poll suggests, but remain in minority government territory ahead of an election that could come as early as this spring.

The Progressive Conservatives, meanwhile, are duking it out with the New Democrats for second place as the Ontario Premier bests both the PCs’ Tim Hudak and the NDP’s Andrea Horwath in public perceptions of her leadership.

Out of 500 Ontarians surveyed by Nanos Research, 36 per cent are prepared to vote Liberal, compared to 28 per cent support for the Tories and 27 for the NDP. These numbers represent a change of less than a percentage point for the Liberals since September, while Mr. Hudak’s party is down by three points in the same period and Ms. Horwath’s is up by one.

“The longer Wynne is the Premier, the more she looks like a Premier – and we haven’t seen any major gaffes out of her adminstration,” Nanos Research chairman Nik Nanos said in an interview. “The Liberals have been relatively united behind her.”

Mr. Hudak, meanwhile, has spent a lot of time fighting divisions in his party, including a spat over controversial right-to-work policies that led to the firing of a candidate last week. And now, he must battle Ms. Horwath to hold on to his place as principal opposition leader.

“For the Conservatives, it’s very important for them to be positioned as the main challengers to the Liberals – to have numbers in the same range as the NDP is not ideal,” Mr. Nanos said. “It’s harder for a movement to unseat a government, to have momentum, when it’s not clear which opposition party is the main challenger.”

Such numbers may explain why the Tories have stepped up their attacks on the NDP in recent days, Mr. Nanos said. A PC radio ad released earlier this week in Niagara Falls, where a by-election campaign is underway, attacks the NDP while making scant mention of the Grits.