Kennedy Stewart leads Vancouver mayor’s race, but nearly half of voters undecided: poll

The first poll since Vancouver’s two largest civic parties locked in their mayoral candidates shows an unsettled electorate that could break in almost any direction.

The online survey conducted by Research Co. found that nearly half (47 per cent) of respondents aren’t sure of who they plan to vote for in October’s civic election.

Among those who have made up their minds, NDP MP Kennedy Stewart is the most popular choice, pulling in 26 per cent support.

The Non-Partisan Association (NPA)’s Ken Sim, an entrepreneur, is second with 23 per cent, and Vision Vancouver’s Ian Campbell, a hereditary chief with the Squamish First Nation, is third with 18 per cent support.

NPA Coun. Hector Bremner, who was rejected by that party as a mayoral candidate, had 10 per cent support, while independent Shauna Sylvester took nine per cent and would-be Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) candidate Patrick Condon took eight per cent. COPE will hold its mayoral nomination meeting on Aug. 19.

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The poll also found significant headwinds for Vision Vancouver, which currently holds a majority on Vancouver City Council. Thirty-one per cent of respondents had a positive view of the party, while 45 per cent had a negative view.

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Thirty per cent of respondents said they had a positive view of the NPA, while 32 per cent had a negative view.

The Vancouver Green Party, while not running a mayoral candidate, continues to enjoy a high degree of popularity, according to the poll.

It found 54 per cent viewed the party positively, up six points from April, while just 22 per cent saw it negatively.

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COPE was viewed positively and negatively by 28 per cent each. Fledgling party One City may be struggling with name recognition issues: 48 per cent said they didn’t know it, while 17 per cent view it positively and 12 per cent see it negatively.

ProVancouver and Coalition Vancouver, neither of whom have any elected officials, also both scored in the teens on positive/negative ratings, along with high scores for “I don’t know this party.”

The poll was conducted online between June 9 and June 11 among 400 adults in the City of Vancouver, and was weighted using demographic data from the Canadian census.

It has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20.