OTTAWA

Watson out front, but many voters still undecided: poll

ctvottawa.ca Published Wednesday, September 8, 2010 5:59PM EDT Last Updated Saturday, May 19, 2012 2:38AM EDT

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Despite a new poll that suggests Jim Watson is the man voters think can get the job done at Ottawa City Hall, many residents say they are still undecided.

An Ottawa Sun/Leger Marketing poll indicates Watson has a comfortable lead in the race for mayor.

Thirty-one per cent of decided voters indicate they intend to vote for Watson on election day; while 22 per cent want Larry O'Brien back in the mayor's chair.

Meanwhile, veteran city councillor Clive Doucet garnered six per cent support; one per cent went to fringe candidate Mike Maguire.

"Mr. Watson's support is among the people that are much more likely to vote," said Rick Hobbs, vice president of Leger Marketing.

Still, Watson isn't letting the polls get to his head. He says it's important to keep the campaign in perspective and secure as many votes as possible.

"I tell my campaign team -- consider the fact that we're 20 points behind and not nine or 10 points ahead. That motivates us, but we have to earn every vote that we hope to get on October 25th," Watson told CTV Ottawa on Wednesday.

Undecided voters

With mayoral campaigns getting into full swing, many of those surveyed still don't know who they'll vote for on election day. Twenty-seven per cent say they still haven't made up their mind.

However, Hobbs says the majority of undecided voters say they're leaning towards Watson. He adds O'Brien's supporters tend to be younger, middle-income residents who are less likely to vote.

Lawn signs

The sign war is another issue. With so many Jim Watson signs popping up in front yards across the city, Hobbs says O'Brien might want to reconsider his decision to forego lawn signs.

"It can help build the awareness and if people don't know, they're not following the election, they will see the lawn signs. It's kind of an informal poll -- who's winning the lawn sign war -- and if he has none, then he can't win the lawn sign war," Hobbs said.

The Leger Marketing survey was conducted before Alex Cullen dropped out of the mayor's race. However, the results indicate Cullen did not fair well among those polled.

The marketing firm surveyed 600 adults by telephone between Aug. 17 and Aug. 20. The results are accurate to within +/- four per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Sixteen candidates are currently registered in the race for mayor. They are: