Another week closer to the 2019 provincial election and another pre-election poll.
In the latest, released by MQO Research, support for the Dwight Ball’s governing Liberal Party has dropped 3 per cent to 44 per cent among leaning and decided voters since last October.
The electorate’s overall opinion of Ball as a leader stayed relatively steady, with him scoring 5.2 on a 10-point scale.
Ches Crosbie’s Progressive Conservatives, meanwhile, saw support jump by 7 per cent to 42 per cent, putting them almost neck and neck with the Liberals and the first time above a 39 per cent rating since MQO’s poll in July of 2017.
“The Liberals are in a tough fight for re-election,” said MQO vice president Stephen Moore stated in a release. “The only region they have a lead on the Tories is Western Newfoundland and Labrador.”
NDP support fell to 12 per cent, its lowest figure in two years.
In terms of the outlook for the province, 44 per cent of residents reported their outlook had worsened over the past three months while 44 per cent indicated their outlook stayed the same and 10 percent felt things had gotten better.
“With only 10 percent of the population saying their general outlook is getting better, the Liberals continued strength is surprising,” Moore stated. “The Tories are running out of time to put together a compelling case that they can make people’s lives better.”
The Atlantic Matters poll was conducted by telephone from Jan. 16-28 and included 600 randomly selected eligible voters from across the province.
