Chris Alexander drops out of Toronto mayoral race, setting up Chow-Bradford showdown

TORONTO — Former federal Conservative cabinet minister Chris Alexander dropped out of Toronto’s mayoral race Tuesday, leaving the contest a two-person battle between incumbent Olivia Chow and challenger Brad Bradford.

Alexander announced the move at his campaign headquarters, just as advance voting for the Oct. 26 municipal election began.

“Our path to success, it became clear to me over this weekend, was not obvious, and perhaps not there at all,” Alexander told reporters.

READ MORE: Olivia Chow leads Brad Bradford by six points in Toronto mayoral race poll

READ MORE: Toronto mayoral candidates clash over property taxes, transit in first debate

He said low polling made it difficult to see a path to victory and conceded that support for him had remained static. Alexander said he is not endorsing any of the remaining candidates.

His name will still appear on ballots, as his withdrawal came too late for its removal.

A Liaison Strategies poll published Tuesday, prior to his exit, placed him at nine per cent support, with Chow at 48 per cent and Bradford at 40 per cent. A separate Nanos Research survey released Tuesday showed Chow at 52.4 per cent among decided voters, Bradford at 42.6 per cent, and Alexander at four per cent.

His departure reshaped a major candidate debate held Tuesday evening at Toronto Metropolitan University into an unexpected head-to-head between Chow and Bradford.

“Chow realizes the challenge without Chris Alexander it’s a little bit different…it’s now more of an evaluation of her first term,” said Zachary Spicer, an associate professor at York University’s school of public policy and administration.

During the debate, Chow was noticeably more confrontational toward Bradford, accusing him of previously supporting transit fare increases and supporting Premier Doug Ford’s bid to remove bike lanes. “How could anyone trust you?” she said.

Bradford replied that Chow was “fearmongering.”

Myer Siemiatycki, a professor emeritus at Toronto Metropolitan University, said Alexander “just could not get the traction he needed to be a serious contender.”

He said Alexander’s exit could benefit Bradford, as both campaigns were predicated on a call for change. “People who were turning to Chris Alexander for that reason, you might think, might be inclined to transfer over to Brad Bradford,” Siemiatycki said.

However, he noted some of Alexander’s supporters might be uncomfortable with Bradford’s political style and could shift to Chow. “His votes are up for grabs.”

As Bradford emerged from voting Tuesday, he appealed to Alexander’s supporters. “If you were ever in the change camp, you were always looking at our campaign,” he said.

Chow, who also voted Tuesday, thanked Alexander for bringing new ideas but said the race is now a stark contest between two visions. “Do we move forward and build an even more affordable and caring city, and safer city,” she asked. “Or do we go backwards to the bad old days where there’s this cut and slash and burns, and neglect of public spaces, and everything falling apart in terms of the infrastructure?”

Alexander, elected as a Conservative MP in 2011, served as federal immigration minister from 2013 to 2015. Early in the campaign, Bradford had criticized some of Alexander’s past federal policy positions.

Siemiatycki warned that many voters may not be aware Alexander has stepped aside, as his name remains on the ballot. He said the final two weeks of the campaign should generate increased public attention and possibly higher voter turnout.

Nosy Mag reported in October that Olivia Chow led Brad Bradford by six points in a poll, with 16 per cent of voters undecided.

With files from Global News and The Globe and Mail