A poll published Monday suggests that a Liberal-New Democrat coalition could win the next election -- but only if its leader is Jack Layton.

The Angus Reid poll found the Conservatives with 35 percent voter support, compared to 27 percent for the Liberals and 19 percent for the NDP. But the picture changed when voters were asked about possible coalitions:

A merged Liberal-NDP party led by Ignatieff would trail the Conservatives by six points. Under former Ontario Premier Bob Rae, the two parties would be tied at 38 per cent. The new party would be ahead of the Tories by six points under NDP leader Jack Layton.

The responses suggested that Layton would win votes even from the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois.

Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.