Former mayoral candidate Olivia Chow considering another run to become Toronto’s mayor
Former councillor Olivia Chow is contemplating another run for mayor of Toronto.
“I want to let you know I am considering running,” Chow told CP24 Monday. “I love this city and I know it can be so much better — for everyone.”
She posted a similar message in a tweet Monday morning.
Chow served as a councillor in Toronto from 1991 to 2005 and then as an NDP member of parliament for Trinity-Spadina from 2006 until 2014.
She ran for mayor in 2014, placing third behind John Tory and Doug Ford.
Speaking with CP24 Monday, Toronto Metropolitan University Professor Myer Siemiatycki said her entry marks a “big development in the race.”
“I think Olivia Chow will be a credible and formidable campaigner,” Siemiatycki said.
The widow of late federal NDP leader Jack Layton, Chow has deep roots with the NDP and could potentially rally the left in the upcoming byelection.
Despite the fact that Chow placed third in her 2014 bid, Siemiatycki said “second chances are possible in Toronto mayoral elections.” He pointed to the fact that John Tory lost a race to David Miller before returning to win the mayor’s office years later and said that if Chow runs, she will likely “take stock of some of the lessons” learned in her previous run.
He said the dynamics of the current race could also work in her favour.
“Even in that campaign (2014), she received about 25 per cent of the vote,” he said. “Given the large number of candidates who will be in this upcoming byelection horse race, 25 per cent could easily be enough of the share of the votes cast to bring them in to win the mayoralty. So I would say she's in a very strong position.”
A crowded field of contenders has emerged to replace former mayor John Tory, with a number of right-leaning and right-of-centre candidates in the race.
However, there are fewer left-leaning candidates with strong name recognition.
Former councillor Mike Layton, Chow’s step-son, has said previously that he will not run.
There has been some speculation that given the crowded field, a strong left-wing candidate might be able to come up the middle in a split-vote situation.
Siemiatycki said that while mayoral candidates typically try to run “big tent” campaigns to appeal to as many types of voters as possible, the crowded field could mean that a candidate who runs a more targeted campaign could be successful.
“This time around, micro-targeting might be the ticket to success and I imagine we are going to see candidates running virtually on single issues or single messages. And it will be interesting to see how Olivia Chow positions herself in this campaign,” Siemiatycki said.
Nominations officially open on April 3 and the vote to choose a new mayor is set to take place on June 26.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'