Three weeks in rehab seem to have done what a year of crack-scandal fallout couldn’t: Rob Ford’s approval rating has finally fallen into the low thirties.
The Star reports that a new Forum Research poll conducted on Wednesday pegs Ford’s latest approval rating at 32 per cent, which may seem surprisingly high for a man with the mayor’s track record. It doesn’t seem so impressive, though, when compared with Ford’s past approval ratings, which have hovered around the mid-forties for more than two years, despite everything.
Cause and effect is always difficult to determine in cases like this, but it’s worth pointing out that this is the first time Forum has measured Ford’s approval since the day he announced his leave of absence. It seems likely that the change is related to Ford’s rehab stay (and possibly some of the weird news stories that have come out of it). Could it be that the one thing Ford fans can’t tolerate is an admission of defeat? It will be interesting to see whether future polls bear that notion out.
The poll also measured voter support for the various mayoral candidates. Olivia Chow is still on top with 36 per cent. John Tory has 27, Ford has 24, and David Soknacki and Karen Stintz are still statistical blips.
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