Mayor Rob Ford’s popularity has sunk to its lowest point since he took office, a new poll shows.
The poll was conducted Wednesday and surveyed 923 Toronto voters. It found that just one third of voters (32 per cent) now support the embattled mayor. Some 65 per cent of respondents said they disapprove of Ford.
“We haven't seen approvals this low for the mayor since he was elected four years ago, and all it took was to for him to disappear for two weeks,” Forum Research President Lorne Bozinoff said in a statement released with the poll.
Two thirds of those polled said the mayor should resign.
While Ford’s approval ratings have managed to stay relatively high since the ‘crack video’ scandal emerged last year, his approval rating has dipped since he went to rehab several weeks ago amid fresh allegations of drug and alcohol use. His latest approval rating represents a six per cent drop since May 1 and a 14 per cent drop since mid-April, when he enjoyed a 46 per cent approval rating.
Chow still leads mayoral race
The poll also found that Olivia Chow continues to lead the pack of contenders for the mayor’s chair with 36 per cent support, while John Tory trails with 27 per cent. Ford remains in third place in the mayoral race with 24 per cent support for his re-election bid.
Karen Stintz and David Soknacki each hold at three per cent support.
The poll found that Chow would come out on top in various scenarios, including match-ups with Doug Ford, the mayor’s brother, and a situation in which neither Ford brother runs.
Tory has highest approval among mayoral candidates
In terms of approval ratings, the poll found that John Tory has the most personal appeal among candidates, with a 68 per cent approval rating. Olivia Chow also enjoys a high approval rating at 59 per cent. Davoid Soknacki and Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly each sit at 50 per cent in their approval ratings, while former TTC chair Karent Stintz has a 49 per cent approval rating.
The poll is considered accurate to within plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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