At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to Martin by a narrow 524 votes.
This time around, it’s a top target seat inside the blue war room. Vince Gasparro, former principal secretary to then-mayor John Tory, is the Liberal candidate, up against Michelle Cooper, the executive director of the Progressive Conservative fund. Leah Tysoe is the Green candidate.
Natasha Doyle-Merrick was set to carry the NDP banner. Just ahead of the nomination deadline, she bowed out — a strategic retreat, she says, aimed at consolidating the progressive vote in a riding with slim margins.
“I recognize the race in Eglinton-Lawrence is a clear two-party contest between Liberals and Conservatives,” she said in a statement posted to X. “To prevent a Conservative win and more years of neglect, I’m stepping aside to avoid a vote split.”
In an exclusive interview, Doyle-Merrick explained why, while sources walked us through what went down behind the scenes.
Here’s what happened:
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to Martin by a narrow 524 votes.
This time around, it’s a top target seat inside the blue war room. Vince Gasparro, former principal secretary to then-mayor John Tory, is the Liberal candidate, up against Michelle Cooper, the executive director of the Progressive Conservative fund. Leah Tysoe is the Green candidate.
Natasha Doyle-Merrick was set to carry the NDP banner. Just ahead of the nomination deadline, she bowed out — a strategic retreat, she says, aimed at consolidating the progressive vote in a riding with slim margins.
“I recognize the race in Eglinton-Lawrence is a clear two-party contest between Liberals and Conservatives,” she said in a statement posted to X. “To prevent a Conservative win and more years of neglect, I’m stepping aside to avoid a vote split.”
In an exclusive interview, Doyle-Merrick explained why, while sources walked us through what went down behind the scenes.
Here’s what happened:
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to…
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to…
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to…
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to…
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to…
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to…
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to…
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to…
At the eleventh hour, a would-be NDP and Liberal candidate in two key ridings pulled their candidacies. In one candidate’s case, it was a calculated move to avoid a vote split.
With no incumbent in the race and a star Liberal candidate on the ballot, Eglinton-Lawrence is anyone’s game — and it’s essential to any party’s electoral math. In 2018, the Tories snagged the once-Liberal bastion, with Robin Martin beating Mike Colle by 957 votes. In 2022, the margin shrank — Arlena Hebert lost to…