The Alberta United Conservative Party won the election because it consolidated its vote in the final stages of the campaign, according to a poll conducted by Research Co. .Ideas and policies were the most important factors for 44% of voters in Alberta, according to the Wednesday poll. The poll said Alberta UCP voters have a higher score than their NDP counterparts (48% to 39%). .Half of Albertans who voted for the UCP had ideas and policies in mind. That's higher than the percentages observed for the Ontario Progressive Conservatives (40%) and the Coalition Avenir Quebec (28%) in last year’s provincial elections. .The poll went on to say a little more than one-quarter of voters determined the main motivator for their vote was party leader. It said Alberta NDP supporters were more likely to be casting a ballot for leader Rachel Notley (33%) than UCP supporters endorsing Premier Danielle Smith (22%). .All other possible factors were ranked lower: disgust with other contending candidates (11%) and the party’s candidate in the riding, desire for stability, and desire for change (8%). .The poll said 42% of voters thought Alberta would be in a good place, regardless of who won the election. That left 58% who expected it to be in a bad place if a particular party emerged victorious. .This polarization was palpable when examining this question by party support: three-fifths of UCP supporters and 59% of NDP supporters predicted hard times if the other party formed the government. .At this moment, people could assume Smith and Notley will face off against each other again in 2027. Albertans — who flirted with smaller parties for months — are ready for fresh faces. .Four-fifths wished Alberta had better people serving as leaders of the main political parties. Each side is blaming their opponents, with 82% of NDP voters and 81% of UCP voters disliking the opposing leader. .When asked if people would cast a ballot for the UCP if former Alberta premier Jason Kenney was in command, 42% of voters agreed — a proportion which rises to half among men and 49% among those aged 55 and older. .The stark contrast is outside of Calgary and Edmonton, where 38% of voters were ready to back Kenney as leader — a drop from the 68% who voted for Smith. He might have lost the rural areas after failing to strike the right balance on COVID-19. .This precipitated the creation of alternatives, such as the minor parties which did not come close to running full slates of candidates. .Therefore, Smith deserves credit for keeping the UCP together. Three-fifths of UCP voters would have supported it with Kenney as leader. .Some politicos said the election yielded a lower seat count and diminished popular vote for it, but these comparisons are being made with the best version of him. The election would have been different if he was leader. .Kenney scraped by with a victory during his leadership review in 2022, taking 51.4% of the vote..READ MORE: BREAKING: Kenney gets 51.4% in leadership vote, announces he will step down.He shocked the crowd moments after by announcing he was stepping down as Alberta premier..“Well, while 51% of the vote passes the constitutional threshold of the majority, it clearly is not adequate support to continue on,” he said. .The poll was conducted online between May 29 and 30 among 500 Albertan adults who voted in the election. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The Alberta United Conservative Party won the election because it consolidated its vote in the final stages of the campaign, according to a poll conducted by Research Co. .Ideas and policies were the most important factors for 44% of voters in Alberta, according to the Wednesday poll. The poll said Alberta UCP voters have a higher score than their NDP counterparts (48% to 39%). .Half of Albertans who voted for the UCP had ideas and policies in mind. That's higher than the percentages observed for the Ontario Progressive Conservatives (40%) and the Coalition Avenir Quebec (28%) in last year’s provincial elections. .The poll went on to say a little more than one-quarter of voters determined the main motivator for their vote was party leader. It said Alberta NDP supporters were more likely to be casting a ballot for leader Rachel Notley (33%) than UCP supporters endorsing Premier Danielle Smith (22%). .All other possible factors were ranked lower: disgust with other contending candidates (11%) and the party’s candidate in the riding, desire for stability, and desire for change (8%). .The poll said 42% of voters thought Alberta would be in a good place, regardless of who won the election. That left 58% who expected it to be in a bad place if a particular party emerged victorious. .This polarization was palpable when examining this question by party support: three-fifths of UCP supporters and 59% of NDP supporters predicted hard times if the other party formed the government. .At this moment, people could assume Smith and Notley will face off against each other again in 2027. Albertans — who flirted with smaller parties for months — are ready for fresh faces. .Four-fifths wished Alberta had better people serving as leaders of the main political parties. Each side is blaming their opponents, with 82% of NDP voters and 81% of UCP voters disliking the opposing leader. .When asked if people would cast a ballot for the UCP if former Alberta premier Jason Kenney was in command, 42% of voters agreed — a proportion which rises to half among men and 49% among those aged 55 and older. .The stark contrast is outside of Calgary and Edmonton, where 38% of voters were ready to back Kenney as leader — a drop from the 68% who voted for Smith. He might have lost the rural areas after failing to strike the right balance on COVID-19. .This precipitated the creation of alternatives, such as the minor parties which did not come close to running full slates of candidates. .Therefore, Smith deserves credit for keeping the UCP together. Three-fifths of UCP voters would have supported it with Kenney as leader. .Some politicos said the election yielded a lower seat count and diminished popular vote for it, but these comparisons are being made with the best version of him. The election would have been different if he was leader. .Kenney scraped by with a victory during his leadership review in 2022, taking 51.4% of the vote..READ MORE: BREAKING: Kenney gets 51.4% in leadership vote, announces he will step down.He shocked the crowd moments after by announcing he was stepping down as Alberta premier..“Well, while 51% of the vote passes the constitutional threshold of the majority, it clearly is not adequate support to continue on,” he said. .The poll was conducted online between May 29 and 30 among 500 Albertan adults who voted in the election. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
