Chris Alexander drops out of Toronto mayoral race

Chris Alexander has announced he is dropping out of the race to become the next mayor of Toronto.

The former Conservative cabinet minister made the announcement at a news conference in Toronto on Tuesday morning.

“Our path to success, it became clear to me over this weekend, was not obvious and perhaps not there at all,” he told supporters and members of the media at his campaign headquarters.

“With the latest poll that came out this morning, we haven’t taken our numbers beyond what they were at the start of our campaign and we wanted to take this difficult decision before advance polls open so that all Torontonians have a chance to vote for someone who is going to see their campaign through to the end. And that is why I am stepping aside.”

Recent exclusive Nanos Research polling for CP24 and CTV News Toronto put him at a distant third to opponents Brad Bradford and Olivia Chow.

The poll, published Tuesday, found that 52.4 per cent of decided voters responded that they would vote for Chow if an election were held today, compared to 42.6 per cent for Bradford and four per cent for Alexander.

The deadline to officially withdraw as a candidate in Toronto’s municipal election was Aug. 21. That means that while Alexander is suspending his campaign, his name is likely to remain on ballots.

Alexander said he will not be endorsing anyone in the race.

“My advice is read all the platforms, including ours. Go on Vote Compass. Find the candidate that is closest to you,” he said.

“See which candidates align with you the most, look at the ideas that we put forward and others have put forward, and challenge the other candidates by email, at debates, through media, in any way you can.”

He urged people to “embrace the policy proposals that you think are important.”

“Ask what promises cost. Is it within the mayor’s power? Or whether the numbers add up? We can’t afford to have a Toronto that is more fiscally fragile than it has been in recent years” Alexander said.

“Don’t decide based on lawn signs, social media, or what your neighbour tells you. Have those conversations but make up your own mind.”