Story perspectives

Olivia Chow Leads Toronto Mayoral Race, Nanos Poll Finds

By Drooid · Oct 9, 2026, 6:33 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Olivia Chow leads Brad Bradford among decided voters in Toronto’s mayoral race.
Nanos Polling reports Chow at 52.4% and Bradford at 42.6% of decided voters, ±3.6% margin.
Mainstreet Research’s Oct 6-7 snapshot shows Chow ahead by 2.9 points, within a ±3.1% margin.
Mainstreet data shows younger voters (18-34) favor Chow and older voters prefer Bradford.
Geographically Chow leads in Downtown, Scarborough and North York while Bradford leads in Etobicoke.

History

Historical Context

In the 2018 Toronto mayoral election, incumbent John Tory secured re-election with 63 % of the vote, defeating Jennifer Keesmaat by a wide margin. Polling firm Nanos reported Tory’s lead at 58 % versus Keesmaat’s 30 % in a March 2018 survey of 1,200 decided voters. Today's mayoral race echoes that split, with Nanos and Mainstreet Research dividing voters between Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford by age and neighbourhood. The recurrence suggests Toronto’s electorate remains sharply segmented, foreshadowing a council that must negotiate divergent priorities to maintain citywide cohesion.

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Story summary

Olivia Chow leads Brad Bradford among decided voters in Toronto’s mayoral race.
Nanos Polling reports Chow at 52.4% and Bradford at 42.6% of decided voters, ±3.6% margin.
Mainstreet Research’s Oct 6-7 snapshot shows Chow ahead by 2.9 points, within a ±3.1% margin.
Mainstreet data shows younger voters (18-34) favor Chow and older voters prefer Bradford.
Geographically Chow leads in Downtown, Scarborough and North York while Bradford leads in Etobicoke.

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