The new United Conservative Party would enjoy a majority government if an election was held today.

That's the findings of a new poll released this morning by Mainstreet Research. Among decided and leaning voters, 57 percent of Albertans said that they support the UCP. The new poll shows that there is still some goodwill towards the NDP in the province, with Edmonton remaining a stronghold for the party and 29 percent of decided or leaning Alberta voters supporting the NDP.

The recent unity among conservatives has also resulted in an increase among undecided voters.

"One side-effect of the merger vote appears to be a spike in the number of undecided voters," said Quito Maggi, President of Mainstreet Research. "In April, 15 percent of voters were undecided, that number is now 27 percent on the generic ballot, nearly double."

In Calgary, the UCP enjoy the support of 37 percent of the population while the NDP have the support of 24 percent of Calgarians. 25 percent of Calgarians remain undecided.

In the rest of Alberta, the UCP see 50 percent support, with only 14 percent supporting the NDP and 29 percent undecided.

David Valentin, Executive Vice-President of Mainstreet Research, explained that Airdrie is lumped in with the rest of Alberta in the poll's findings. However, Valentin also said that the finding from Calgary possibly reflects the attitudes of Airdronians, due to our proximity to the city.

Maggi said that there is also reason for caution among conservatives.

"If we learned anything from the recent PC leadership contest, it is the divisive and combative nature of such contests can take a toll on a political brand."

Maggi pointed to the fact that Jason Kenney began the leadership contest with a highly positive net favourability score. Although he won easily, he ended with only 41 percent favourability and 32 percent unfavourability.

"The caution fo rthe United Conservative Party leadership hopefuls is that a spirited contest can lead to increased excitement and support, but it can also have a negative effect on candidates. These numbers point to a majority government in the next election, but Rachel Notley and the NDP have time on their side. That combined with renewed strength in the economy in Alberta, means a unified Conservative Party cannot take anything for granted leading up to the 2019 election."

 

Question, comments or story ideas? Email us at news@discoverairdrie.com