John Tory endorses Ana Bailão for Toronto mayor

Former Toronto mayor John Tory has thrown a last minute endorsement to Ana Bailão in the city’s mayoral race, calling his former deputy mayor "the best choice to lead this city forward and to bring it together everyday."

Tory released a lengthy statement on Wednesday afternoon in which he described Bailão as "the leader who can deliver on the promise of Toronto" and formally endorsed her candidacy for mayor.

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"Ana earned my respect and my trust because of who she is and what she can do. She stood up to me and she changed my mind and had my back and in doing so she made me and this city better," he wrote. "She will be there for you, every day, working tirelessly to make this city better. Ana will get more housing built. Ana will make sure the new transit we need actually gets built and she will see to it that we continue to improve service and reliability on the TTC.

Tory also suggested there were some candidates who might not fare so well in the job.

“The Mayor of Toronto cannot be polarizing or divisive. They can't be driven by party politics or represent just one group of people. It's all hands on deck,” he said, without mentioning names.

“Mayors of Toronto can't pick fights they don't know how to win. You have to be pragmatic. You have to be able to move projects forward, day by day, month by month.”

Polls have consistently put former councillor and MP Olivia Chow well ahead of other contenders in the race. Polls released this week indicate her support remains north of 30 per cent, while the others continue to fight for second spot at 10 to 15 per cent support

However, Bailão has managed to garner strong support from others on council. Nine sitting councillors have said they are supporting her, including Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie.

In addition to having been allies while on council, a number of Tory's former staffers are working for the Bailão campaign.

Tory himself has kept a low profile since resigning from office earlier this year over an affair with a staffer in his office.

It was that resignation which triggered the mayoral race.

However, polls early in the campaign showed that if he were running, he would be in the lead by far.

Despite nearly three months of campaigning and multiple debates, none of the other candidates has managed to break away from the pack as a clear second choice.

In recent weeks, former police chief Mark Saunders has shifted his message to present himself as the only candidate who can beat Chow. However the message has done little to move his fortunes in the polls and a call for other candidates to support him did not get any traction.

Right-leaning candidate Rob Davis, a former city councilor, did drop out of the race Wednesday. But he threw his support to Anthony Furey.

Saunders was quick to respond to news of the impending endorsement from Tory, with a tweet suggesting it would solidify Chow’s win.

“John Tory gives up on Toronto, again,” he said in a tweet attached to a graphic which included a picture of Chow laughing and the words “backroom deal” and “good luck Toronto.”

Saunders got an endorsement of his own yesterday from Premier Doug Ford.

Ford weighed in on the race again Wednesday, saying that he wished Tory was still mayor, that they still talk and that "if Olivia Chow gets in it'll be an unmitigated disaster."

Josh Matlow also issued a swift response.

“John Tory and Doug Ford don’t get to tell you who to vote for,” he wrote in a tweet referencing both endorsements. “And I know they don’t want us to win. I need your support on June 26th to take a stand for Toronto and take back our city.”

He urged people to visit his website to see his platform.

Chow’s campaign later issued a similar statement.

“In this election, John Tory and Doug Ford are two votes. They don’t get to decide the next mayor of our city, the people do,” Chow’s statement read. “Life is not affordable for a lot of people and the status quo is not working. That is why my message of building a more affordable, caring and safe city is being welcomed by so many Torontonians. Together, let’s make that change happen on Monday.”

It’s unclear whether Tory’s last-minute endorsement might be enough to boost Bailão into position as the clear alternative to Chow. However he is by far the most recognizable name in local politics to offer an endorsement in the race.

“The John Tory endorsement may in fact have come just a little too late,” political strategist Kim Wright told CP24.

She said the endorsement would have been much more helpful ahead of advance voting, but that it could still help Bailão to bring out voters on Election Day.

“Where this will help Ana Bailão now is for last minute get-out-the-vote efforts,” she said.

She said it could also be a “double-edged sword,” with polling data indicating that many people felt the city was heading in the wrong direction in the last few years of his mayoralty.

However he did manage to secure a third term shortly before resigning, with 62 per cent support in the fall election.

Voters are set to go to the polls this coming Monday, June 26.