SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – Voters in Sault Ste. Marie head to the polls today in a provincial byelection observers see as a test of the governing Liberals ahead of next year’s general election.
The riding has been held by the Ontario Liberals since the 2003 election, but Trevor Tchir, a political science professor at Sault Ste. Marie’s Algoma University, says victory in the Sault appears within reach of all three major parties.
Tchir says observers are interested to see if the Liberals can hold on to the riding, despite recent low poll numbers for the party and Premier Kathleen Wynne.
READ MORE: Sault Ste. Marie byelection a litmus test for Ontario Liberals
Tory candidate Ross Romano, a city councillor, was nominated in early November to represent his party in the June 2018 general election – before Liberal cabinet minister David Orazietti announced he would step down in December, prompting the byelection.
The NDP recruited another city councillor, Joe Krmpotich, in January.
The Liberals nominated former Mayor Debbie Amaroso in late April, less than a week before the writ dropped.