Notley’s NDP Owns a Big Lead in Alberta, Says New Poll

On the eve of a byelection and less than a month before the review of Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership by United Conservative Party members, a new poll shows the NDP opposition strongly leading the UCP in decided-voter support.

If the findings of the online survey of 600 adults made between March 11 and 13 are accurate, the New Democratic Party led by former premier Rachel Notley now has a significant advantage in Calgary as well as in Edmonton and is closing on the governing UCP even in its rural strongholds.

The Research Co. poll has a rather large margin of error, plus or minus 4 per cent, presumably a result of the relatively small sample size. Somewhat confusingly, the comparator numbers in the pollster’s news release look back to a similar poll taken by the same firm more than a year ago. Still, it tells a story that feels right as Kenney continues give the appearance of foundering as his date with destiny on April 9 nears.

It’s certainly not a good look when a premier down in the polls disqualifies nomination candidates with strong support in solid UCP ridings where sitting MLAs who are Kenney loyalists appear to be in trouble.

This happened recently in Cardston-Siksika, where Jody Gateman seemed to be in a position to knock off UCP Deputy Whip Joseph Schow. It happened again last week in Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre where Tim Hoven looked like he had the momentum to beat one of the giants of the Kenney Government, House Leader and Environment Minister Jason Nixon.

The party says without evidence that both upstart candidates from the party’s right wing were disqualified for past social media likes or retweets of messages that had the potential to turn into future bozo eruptions.

Well, that could be true.

Regardless, you have to wonder, what will those voters do if their own favoured party just brushes aside their desire for internal change?

Probably worse for Kenney, though, is the potential fallout from today’s Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche byelection.

Former Wildrose Party Leader and Kenney rival Brian Jean is the UCP candidate and is clearly the frontrunner. Jean, scion of a well-heeled Fort Mac business family with experience as both an MP and an MLA, is clear in his intent to unseat Kenney as UCP leader.

So if Jean wins tonight, that will be bad news indeed for Kenney.

If the right-wing vote splits and Fort Mac teacher Ariana Mancini emerges victorious for the NDP, that will arguably be even worse for the premier – establishing a narrative that the opposition party is on a path to an inevitable victory.

In the unlikely event Paul Hinman of the Wildrose Independence Party pulls off an upset victory, that too would establish a narrative that looks bad for Kenney. But it would at least give him the opportunity to urge voters to rally round the Maple Leaf Flag by voting for his party, since Hinman says, “My mission is to lead Alberta in becoming a Sovereign Constitutional Democracy that recognizes the Supremacy of God and the rule of law with individual freedoms and rights protected.”

Regardless, you can count on it that all candidates — especially Jean and Mancini — were pointing to these latest poll results as they strove to get their supporters out to the polls on the Ides of March and move remaining undecided voters into their column.

Research Co.’s poll shows the NDP leading the UCP by 50 per cent to 25 per cent in Edmonton, and by 47 per cent to 34 per cent in Calgary. Even in rural Alberta, the UCP only leads the NDP by 33 per cent to 31 per cent.

Startlingly, the Research Co. poll shows the NDP leading the UCP among male voters by 40 per cent to 32 per cent, and among female voters by 49 per cent to 28 per cent.

“The UCP is evidently having difficulties maintaining the base together,” observed Research Co. President Mario Canseco, rather understating matters by the sound of it, in his news release yesterday. “While the NDP is keeping 89 per cent of its supporters in the 2019 provincial election, the UCP is only managing to hold on to 51 per cent of their voters.”

The poll indicates Notley’s performance approval rating at 49 per cent is much higher than Mr. Kenney’s at 26 per cent.

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This article is adapted from a longer version on Alberta Politics.