Long considered a Liberal stronghold, Toronto's Davenport riding may be in for an orange shakeup if the local NDP can preserve some enthusiasm lingering from the party's federal success.

In May's historic federal election, the NDP's Andrew Cash snatched Davenport away from incumbent Grit Mario Silva. Now, as the riding gears up for October's provincial election, one question remains: Will the NDP magic strike twice?

Davenport's long-time Liberal MPP Tony Ruprecht announced his retirement last July, setting the stage for a fresh power struggle. In the last provincial election, Ruprecht received about 1,500 more votes than his NDP rival.

With October's election on the horizon, it's not yet known if Liberal candidate Cristina Martins can maintain her predecessor's success.

Raised in the riding, Martins has some local prowess on her side. Martins, a health-care worker, speaks Portuguese, Italian and French -- skills that may help her connect with Davenport's diverse population.

Also vying for the post is NDP candidate Jonah Schein who has a background in public service. He's worked as a social worker and community organizer. Schein also made a strong, but unsuccessful, run for city council last year.

Historically, this mixed-income riding has been tossed between the Liberals and the NDP with several close races between them.

That's not to say that other candidates should be counted out.

Kirk Russell is running for the Progressive Conservatives. He's joined by candidates from the Green Party, the Freedom Party and the Communist Party, just to name a few.

In total, there are nine candidates from Davenport vying for a seat at Queen's Park.

With Liberal heavyweight Ruprecht out of the running this time around, there's no telling how the political landscape in this cosmopolitan riding will shift.

GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHY 

Flanked by two of Toronto's most politically-charged ridings -- Parkdale-High Park and Trinity-Spadina -- Davenport has a diverse population of about 100,000.

The area is bounded by the CN-CP tracks to the west with Ossington Avenue and Winona Drive to the east.

Davenport is home to a solid block of mid-income housing just north of St. Clair Avenue near Dufferin Street with some lower-income housing sitting near the stockyards. Over the years, new townhouse developments in the area have replaced factories and warehouses.

The riding has a strong Italian community with a sizeable Portuguese and Southeast Asian community living south of Bloor Street.

Candidates:

  • Miguel Figueroa (COM)
  • Franz Cauchi (FP)
  • Frank de Jong (GRN)
  • Mark Jagg (IND)
  • Cristina Martins (LIB)
  • Jonah Schein (NDP)
  • Kiros Ghiwot (TOP)
  • Kirk Russell (PC)
  • Allix Thompson (PHR)