Chris Alexander Exits Toronto Mayoral Race Ahead of Advance Polls
Chris Alexander dropped out of the Toronto mayoral race on Tuesday morning, ending his campaign just as advance polls opened across the city. The former federal minister and Conservative cabinet minister announced his withdrawal at a news conference at his campaign headquarters, stating that a path to victory was no longer viable (CP24). Advance voting began at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday and runs until October 11, with the official municipal election scheduled for October 26 (NOW Toronto, Canada’s National Observer).
Polling Deficits Force Campaign Suspension
Alexander pointed to stagnant poll numbers as the primary reason for his departure from the contest. Recent polling released Tuesday morning by Liaison Strategies placed his campaign in a distant third with nine per cent support, trailing incumbent Olivia Chow at 48 per cent and Brad Bradford at 40 per cent (NOW Toronto). A separate poll conducted by Nanos Research for CP24 and CTV News Toronto surveyed 755 residents between September 30 and October 4, putting Alexander at four per cent of the decided vote, compared to 52.4 per cent for Chow and 42.6 per cent for Bradford (CP24, Canada’s National Observer).
“We thought we had a chance of catching up faster. It didn’t happen,” Alexander told reporters, adding that staying in the race would be irresponsible given the wide margin (CP24, NOW Toronto). I just don’t see us catching up, I don’t see that path,
Alexander told reports on Tuesday morning. With three weeks to go that would be very hard to do,
Alexander said. Because the official deadline to withdraw as a candidate passed on August 21, Alexander’s name will still appear on the municipal ballots (CP24, Canada’s National Observer). In a statement released Tuesday, Alexander said the election has been full of giveaways and promises,
but that with this latest poll, I must be honest about our path to City Hall.
He confirmed during his announcement that he will not endorse any remaining candidate in the race (CP24).
Two-Horse Race Emerges for City Hall
With Alexander’s exit, the contest narrows to a race between Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford with less than three weeks remaining before voting day (NOW Toronto). Alexander entered the race in July, pitching a centrist, progressive, and non-partisan platform that included freezing property taxes for one year, boosting affordable housing, and improving transit (NOW Toronto, Canada’s National Observer). He called his platform a centrist, progressive, non-partisan, action-oriented agenda.
It is out there for anyone to agree with and adopt,
he said. Rival candidate Olivia Chow acknowledged those policy contributions after the announcement, thanking Alexander for his proposals on supportive housing (CP24).
Looking ahead, Alexander stated that he plans to return to the private sector to advise companies and sit on corporate boards, though he did not rule out a future return to politics in some capacity (CP24, NOW Toronto). Voters have until October 26 to cast ballots in the municipal election (Canada’s National Observer).
Frequently Asked Questions About the Mayoral Exit
Why will Chris Alexander’s name still appear on the ballot?
Alexander missed the official municipal deadline to withdraw from the ballot, which passed on August 21, meaning voters will still see his name listed on October 26 (CP24).
Did Chris Alexander endorse another candidate after dropping out?
He confirmed he would not endorse another candidate (Canada’s National Observer).
What were the final poll numbers before his suspension?
A Liaison Strategies poll released Tuesday morning put Alexander at nine per cent support, while a concurrent Nanos Research poll placed him at four per cent of the decided vote (CP24, NOW Toronto).