Ford’s lead slipping in Toronto mayoral race

A new poll says in a race between the two front-runners, voters would pick George Smitherman over Rob Ford.

It appears that the backlash from Toronto’s left-leaning voters and media outlets against Ford’s surprising campaign is beginning to turn the tide on his runaway success. Only two weeks ago Ford had twice as much support as his main rival Smitherman, but now he only has 28 per cent support compared to Smitherman’s 23 per cent. Sarah Thomson, a candidate who was polling at 7 per cent, gave Smitherman a boost Tuesday morning by withdrawing from the race<?a> and throwing her support behind him. Despite having virtually no allies at city hall and his tendency for high-profile gaffes, Ford's message of cutting spending has proven popular and he shocked many by surging to an early lead in the polls.