The latest polling suggests that the NDP has not only moved past the Liberals into second place in the Ontario election race, but they seem to be closing the gap between themselves and the PCs with plenty of time left before the June 7 vote.
However, talk of a potential NDP-Liberal coalition government could actually slow down the momentum the NDP seem to have at this point.
The possibility was raised to NDP Leader Andrea Horwath in a media interview and her answer, that this was not the time to talk about a coalition, seemed to leave the door open that it could be a consideration down the road.
But rightly or wrongly, a lot of Ontario voters don’t like Kathleen Wynne and have tired of the Liberals, and those malcontents would bristle at the thought of the Liberals having any part of the next provincial government.
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That could make some of those uncommitted voters reconsider their choice to throw their support behind the NDP.
Horwath should have dismissed the idea of coalition altogether; disgruntled voters want to support a party that’s in it to win it, not one that’s willing to make side deals to gain power.
In a volatile election such as this, where change is the buzzword and where every vote counts, a strategic faux pas such as this could be the difference between winning and losing.
Bill Kelly is the host of Bill Kelly Show on AM 900 CHML and a commentator for Global News