Most Ontario voters do not recognize Liberal leadership candidates, poll says

A new poll suggests most Ontarians are unfamiliar with the candidates competing to lead the Ontario Liberal Party, even as the race moves into its final weeks. The Liaison Strategies survey of 1,600 Ontarians found low name recognition for all five contenders: Navdeep Bains, Lee Fairclough, Stephanie Bowman, Eric Lombardi and Dylan Marando. Bains, seen by some as the frontrunner, was still unknown to 52% of respondents, while roughly threequarters were unfamiliar with Bowman and Fairclough. Lombardi and Marando were recognized by only a small share of those surveyed. After respondents were given brief candidate biographies, support levels shifted. In the general electorate, Fairclough led with 23%, followed by Bains at 20%. Among Liberal supporters, Bains led with 32%, ahead of Fairclough at 26%. Party members are set to vote online from Nov. 9 to Nov. 20, with the winner to be announced on Nov. 21.