Toronto Star trying to push Olivia Chow into mayoralty race

An interesting aspect of the polling done for the Toronto Star concedes that, “..Ford Nation seems to be a pretty loyal group of supporters. Unless the issue deals directly with the performance of his duties, these things don’t seem to impact his popularity,” Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff said in an interview..Rob Ford is really both the Teflon and Kevlar Mayor – nothing sticks to him and nothing penetrates his armour.”

The Star report polls that the wife of late NDP leader Jack Layton would beat Ford if an election were held today with 56% of the vote.

However no campaign has begun and Olivia Chow is an incredibly vulnerable candidate outside of the downtown core that forms the basis of her support. Her speaking style is stilted and cold and her NDP-style policies would result in skyrocketing taxes and unions resuming their stranglehold on City Hall.

An informal poll of Ford supporters suggest they welcome the opportunity to face Chow and offer the voters of Toronto the choice between a fiscal conservative who has made huge strides in getting the city's fiscal house in order and an irresponsible spendthrift known for little else than being the widow of a famous politician.