[URBAN NOTE] "Chow fans in Spadina-Fort York wary of Liberal surge"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star's Daniel Rider reports on concerns that Olivia Chow might not win the riding of Spadina-Fort York.

At the start of this federal election, Adam Vaughan supporters confided that an orange wave would almost certainly knock the star Liberal MP out of office in favour of NDP royalty Olivia Chow.

Instead, with the vote days away, New Democrats are nervously watching signs of national Liberal momentum and fearing that Chow’s lead in opinion polls has evaporated, the tide turned against them.

“The impression I’m getting is it’s a very close race,” said Wade Ireland, a condo-dwelling Spadina-Fort York resident and Chow volunteer. “What’s happening in the federal election affects here, so we’re just watching and I’m hoping there will be a surprise like there was in Alberta,” where the provincial NDP won a majority in May.

A New Democrat organizer familiar with the riding, speaking on background, is more pessimistic.

“My gut tells me Olivia is down (in the polls) and it has nothing to do with what she is doing,” the organizer said.

“The people have decided Justin Trudeau’s the guy to take out Harper, and so it shall be.”