Wildrose party surges ahead in Alberta provincial election

The incumbent Progressive Conservative party is falling further behind the Wildrose party in recent polls. Both parties are on the right and both are led by women.

A Leger Marketing survey shows the Wildrose party gaining support in the second week of the campaign. Wildrose led by Danielle Smith received 41 per cent to 34 per cent for the Progressive Conservatives led by Alison Redford. The leftist New Democratic Party has only 12 per cent and behind them the Liberals have just 10 per cent. In Edmonton the NDP was doing well at 20 per cent versus about 7 per cent in Calgary.

There are still 22 per cent of voters undecided. The undecided voters were leaning equally toward the Wildrose and Progressive Conservatives. The are still over two weeks left in the campaign.

The polling reveals a split between the two largest cities Edmonton and Calgary. The Conservatives continue to lead the Wildrose in Edmonton in the north but are far behind in Calgary in the south of the province.

In Edmonton the PC's have 37 per cent while the Wildrose has only 25 per cent. In Calgary the situation reverses with Wildrose aat 47 per cent and PCs at just 34 per cent. Rural areas are overwhelmingly for the Wildrose at 54 per cent and just 30 for the PCs. The situation has changed dramatically just within a couple of months. Earlier Redford was by far the most popular choice of leader when compared to Danielle Smith. Only 3 out of ten voters polled wanted the present Conservative government to be reelected.

The Wildrose leader actually receives more support from men than women. 35 per cent to 22 percent. Redford has about equal support. The full report is here. For more on the election and issues see this article. Both leading parties are promising goodies. Alberta is one of the richer provinces as it has vast oil resources. Conservative parties have ruled the province for decades.