Poll reveals PCS, Liberals tied in Windsor Lake byelection

MQO Research says it is a close race between the PCS and Liberals in the Windsor Lake byelection.

The polling company spoke with 300 residents in the Windsor Lake district to gauge how they were planning to vote in the upcoming byelection.

“According to our results, there is a statistical tie between Liberal candidate Paul Antle and PC Leader Ches Crosbie,” MQO stated in a news release.

Among decided and leaning voters, 41 per cent would vote for Antle, 37 per cent would vote for Crosbie and 22 per cent would vote for NDP candidate Kerri Claire Neil, MQO stated.

Meanwhile, 23 per cent of those polled were undecided.

“This is a very important byelection,” stated Stephen Moore, vice-president at MQO. “If Crosbie doesn’t win, the Tories will go into the (provincial election) campaign without an elected leader.”

Voters 55 years and older are more likely to support Crosbie, while younger voters are more likely to support Antle.

MQO said the poll also asked which leader people preferred for premier. Crosbie and Premier Dwight Ball are neckand-neck in the riding. Among decided respondents, 43 per cent prefer Crosbie, 38 per cent prefer Ball and 19 per cent prefer NDP Leader Gerry Rogers.

Twenty-eight per cent of those polled were undecided.

The poll was conducted by telephone from Sept. 9-10 and included 300 randomly selected eligible voters in the riding. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 5.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.