A poll from Mainstreet Research says that Saskatchewan NDP candidate Yens Pedersen holds a slight lead over Saskatchewan Party candidate Gary Grewal in the upcoming Regina Northeast byelection.
Voters will decide who replaces former Sask. Party MLA Kevin Doherty on Sept. 12. Doherty most notably served as the province’s finance minister from May 2015 to Aug. 2017. He resigned in March to pursue other opportunities in the private sector.
According to the poll, Pedersen has 35.6 per cent support, while Grewal has 31.9 per cent. Nearly 15 per cent of voters in the byelection are undecided.
Pedersen’s lead shrinks among decided and leaning voters, 41.4 per cent compared to Grewal’s 39.7 per cent. Liberal candidate Reid Hill has 8.9 per cent decided support and the Green party’s Jessica Schroeder has 8.4 per cent support.
Grewal is more popular with male respondents, while Pedersen has the lead in the female vote. The one age bracket where Grewal enjoys the lead, is among voters aged 50-64.
Progressive Conservative candidate Kevin Grey and Mark W. Regel from the Western Independence Party were not included in the poll.
The poll was conducted on Sept. 8 and 9, and included 184 residents in the Regina Northeast riding. Mainstreet says the margin of error for the survey is +/- 7.12 per cent and is accurate 19 times out of 20.