The Alberta United Conservative Party is ahead of the NDP province-wide, according to a poll conducted by Mainstreet Research. .A total of 46% of Albertans would vote for the UCP if an election took place now, according to the Tuesday poll. The poll found 41% would select the Alberta NDP. .Subsequent to the NDP would be undecided (8%). This was followed by the Alberta Party (2%) and the Alberta Greens, Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta (WIPA), and another party (1%). .Among decided voters, the poll said half would vote for the Alberta UCP. Second place would go to the NDP (44%). .The Greens and Alberta Party would tie for third place (2%). This was followed by WIPA and another party (1%). .While polls over the last few weeks have indicated a narrow race, this one indicates a lead is starting to form for the UCP. With most policy announcements being made, now is the time for the parties to mobilize their voters. .The poll went on to say 39% of Albertans believe Premier Danielle Smith won the Alberta Leaders’ Debate. It said 26% think Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley won. .Smith and Notley went toe to toe in the Alberta Leaders’ Debate on Thursday, with the pair landing blows but no knockout punch..READ MORE: Smith says Notley won't run on her record, it was an 'absolute disaster'.Opening remarks had a 1-minute time limit, then 10 questions were asked with a limited response of 45 seconds. The order to speak first was a random draw, with Smith winning..“This election comes down to a choice between a UCP government that lowers taxes, balanced the budget, and returned Alberta to its place as the economic powerhouse of Canada, or we could choose to go backwards with the same failed NDP policies that hike taxes, drove out jobs and investment, and almost bankrupted our province,” she said. .Smith’s approval rating is about equal among respondents (48% positive to 47% negative). There are 4% who remain undecided. .Notley’s approval rating resembles her opponent’s (48% positive to 48% negative). Another 4% do not know where they stand. .When it comes to Smith’s positions, 46% said they believe they were about right. A total of 45% believed they were too far right, and 9% were unsure. .While Notley has tried to display herself as a more centrist option, 45% said her positions were too far left. Another 43% called them about right, and 12% said they were too far right. .Notley tried to soften her left-wing persona on May 4 with an appeal to moderate conservative voters, promising she would speak for all Albertans if elected premier. .READ MORE: Notley channels her inner Lougheed with appeal to ‘moderate’ conservative voters.She riffed on traditional conservative themes, including taxes, pipelines and the economy..To that end, she promised she would not raise taxes or run budget deficits over a four-year term and vowed to be a practical, pragmatic leader while accusing the UCP of “abandoning the values of conservatives.”.The poll was conducted through automated telephone interviews from May 19 to 22 among 1,720 Albertan adults. It has a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
