ThinkHQ/Metro News Poll
The PC leadership race has yet to officially begin, however it is clear that among those declared or rumoured to be considering a run, Calgary M.P. Jason Kenney holds the ‘pole position’, as found by a recent ThinkHQ/Metro News Poll:
- Kenney enjoys the highest approval of any of the candidates tested (37%), but also relatively high disapproval (35%). Other prospective candidates suffer from low profiles, which is reflected in their results on all measures.
- Kenney performs well among likely PC and Wildrose voters (approval over 60%), and is equally well regarded among voters who consider themselves ‘conservative’
- However, Kenney suffers from high “negatives” in Edmonton, and among those who consider themselves ‘progressive’. His approval in Calgary is modest (equal to disapproval)
The Kenney Gamble: If Kenny does win the PC leadership BUT the Wildrose Party continues to field candidates, the NDP are the biggest beneficiaries:
- ¾ of Wildrose voters say they would prefer to vote for the Wildrose led by Brian Jean than the PC Party led by Jason Kenney
*CAVEAT: Our July survey asked a gen-pop sample of Albertans their thoughts on various candidates to permanently replace Jim Prentice as PC leader. These results may be more interesting than they are instructive. The next PC leader will be selected using a delegated leadership convention model, so while polling results can offer insights into how the public (and even likely PC voters) feel, it WILL NOT necessarily reflect choices made by party members at individual constituency delegate selection meetings.
Click the link to view detailed findings and methodology: Metro Poll August 2016 – Race for PC Leader