Voters unswayed by Kenney, poll suggests
Jean-helmed Wildrose leading race; NDP third
An improving provincial economy and a new Progressive Conservative leader have caused barely a tremor on the Alberta political scene so far, with a new poll showing the Wildrose continuing to hold the lead and the NDP remaining in third place.
A Mainstreet Research survey conducted for Postmedia shows the Wildrose under Brian Jean on top among leaning and decided voters, at 37 per cent.
The PCs, with former MP Jason Kenney at the helm since last month, are in second at 29 per cent, while Rachel Notley’s NDP trails both parties at 24 per cent.
The Liberals under David Swann and the Alberta Party led by Greg Clark each have the backing of five per cent of voters.
The numbers are almost identical to the previous Mainstreet political poll in February, though in that survey Wildrose was at 38 per cent, the Tories — then under interim leader Ric McIver — were steady at 29 per cent and the NDP stood at 23 per cent. The Liberal and Alberta Party numbers are unchanged in the poll.
“What’s interesting to me is what’s not there,” said Mainstreet’s David Valentin in an interview this week. “There is no bump for the Jason Kenney-led PCs.
“If anyone expected an immediate shakeup with the introduction of Jason Kenney to provincial politics, it doesn’t seem to have landed just yet.”
Kenney, a key cabinet minister in the former federal Conservative government, won the PC leadership in March on a platform of uniting the Tories with the Wildrose in a new party to take on the NDP government. The two parties have each named members to a discussion group around the idea, though the meetings are secretive.
Valentin noted that since Kenney won the leadership he has kept a low profile, especially after wading into controversy around student-run gay-straight alliances in schools.
“What I think is interesting is he’s focused on something else entirely. He’s not focused on Alberta politics ... he’s focused on trying to make this merger happen and then winning a subsequent leadership race. Maybe he thinks that he doesn’t need to talk to Albertans at this moment, that he will have a chance to do so at a certain point when he is the leader of this combined conservative party.”
On a regional basis, the PCs remain the top choice in Calgary at 33 per cent, followed by the NDP at 27 per cent and Wildrose at 24 per cent. The NDP remain far ahead in their Edmonton stronghold with 46 per cent support, followed by Wildrose at 26 per cent and the PCs at 20 per cent.
The Wildrose continue to hold a commanding lead outside of the two main cities, coming in at 47 per cent compared to the PCs’ 30 per cent and the New Democrats’ 16 per cent.