Doug Ford’s campaign manager accuses Poilievre camp of ‘campaign malpractice’

Kory Tenycke of Rubicon Strategy talks about his comments on the Curse of Politics podcast about 'campaign malpractice' from the Conservative Party.

Leading Conservative campaign strategist Kory Teneycke is taking aim at his own party, accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his team of squandering a big lead.

“I know it’s uncomfortable for people to hear that said out loud, but it’s in every poll and every poll aggregator, the numbers are the numbers, and saying that you don’t believe in polls, if you’re managing a campaign, it’s delusional,” Teneycke told CTV Power Play host Vassy Kapelos in an interview on Tuesday.

At a rally for Poilievre on Wednesday, some Conservative supporters were spotted wearing shirts and waving signs that read: “Do you believe the polls?”

The Conservative campaign says the signs and shirts are not party or campaign products.

Teneycke, meanwhile, appearing on the Curse of Politics podcast Thursday morning, made waves among political watchers when he said: “Blowing a 25-point lead and being like 10 points down is campaign malpractice at the highest level.”

Teneycke has served as Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s campaign manager and successfully led the Ontario Progressive Conservatives to three successive majority governments. He also served as director of communications to prime minister Stephen Harper.

Despite nearly two years of a Conservative double-digit lead in public opinion polling, the Liberals surged in the polls after former leader and prime minister Justin Trudeau announced he would resign, and as U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Now, halfway through the election campaign, Nanos Research polling data puts the Liberals a handful of points ahead of the Conservatives.

“So when I talk about campaign malpractice, blowing a lead that big, and your response being, ‘I don’t believe in the polls,’ I don’t know. I think it’s kind of weak sauce,” said Teneycke, who is also a regular commentator for the Sunday Strategy Session panel on CTV’s Question Period.

According to Teneycke, a back-and-forth between Poilievre and Globe and Mail reporter Laura Stone this week also isn’t helping.

On Tuesday, Stone asked Poilievre whether he feels he should broaden his message beyond certain talking points to increase his support among Liberals and undecided voters.

“I think it’s pretty broad,” Poilievre said, when asked whether his focus on the “woke mob,” “century initiative,” and getting rid of the CBC headquarters are creating an echo chamber.

“How many people do you think we had last night?” he then asked, referencing his rally in Edmonton Monday night.

When Stone replied “thousands,” Poilievre said she could “be more precise than that.”

At a time when the Conservatives are already losing points with women, Teneycke said, having the party leader seen as attacking a female reporter in a “gross” way is turning even more voters off.

Teneycke has also been critical of Poilievre for failing to pivot his campaign to focus on Trump, saying it was clear “way back in December” the U.S. president was becoming a primary concern for Canadians, while leaning into a tone that is itself reminiscent of Trump.

“One of the things that is clearly holding (voters) back with Poilievre, is all the Trumpy stuff,” Teneycke said. “He’s looking and sounding a lot like Trump, arguing with a reporter about the size of the crowd at a rally, a campaign slogan that’s ‘Canada First’ when Trump’s was ‘America First.’ So I think there’s a disconnect there.”

Pressed on why he would call out his party in the middle of a campaign, Teneycke said while he’s a Conservative and will be voting for the party, his job is “to give commentary and analysis on the election campaign.”

During a press conference Friday morning, Poilievre was asked about Teneycke’s categorization of the Conservatives’ drop in the polls as being the result of “campaign malpractice,” and whether he shares that assessment.

“Liberals and lobbyists want … me to stop talking about high food prices,” he said. “They want me to stop talking about the doubling housing costs during the lost Liberal decade. I’m not going to stop talking about that.”

“They want me to stop talking about the rampaging crime that’s overtaking our streets and the overdose crisis Liberals caused that has taken the lives of 50,000 people. I will not stop talking about that either,” he also said, before pointing to his campaign affordability promises and criticizing the Liberals.

With files from CTV News national correspondent Rachel Aiello