Poll: 62% of Torontonians wouldn't vote for Ford in 2014 'under any circumstance'

Results of a new poll show that Torontonians are more likely to vote for Olivia Chow than Rob Ford for mayor in the civic election next year, with 62 per cent of respondents saying 'there's no way' they would vote for Ford 'under any circumstance.' (Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Results of a new poll show that Torontonians are more likely to vote for Olivia Chow than Rob Ford for mayor in the civic election next year, with 62 per cent of respondents saying "there's no way' they would vote for Ford "under any circumstance."

In one scenario, Ipsos Reid pollsters examined results when Ford, Olivia Chow, John Tory, Karen Stintz and David Soknacki competed in a five-way mayoral race.

Results show that out of the 665 Torontonians interviewed through an online panel, the majority would vote for Chow:

But in a different scenario when Ford was running against Stintz and Soknaci, 52 per cent of participants would vote for Stintz, compared to 33 per cent for Ford.

If Ford's prospects of being re-elected mayor look bleak, the poll shows that Torontonians are still willing to elect a right-leaning candidate.

When pollsters asked participants to choose either Ford, Tory, Stintz or Socknacki, the majority said they would vote for Tory, and 22 per cent for Ford. That's 63 per cent of respondents who would vote for a right-leaning candidate:

While Ford garners between 20 and 33 per cent of the vote in the different scenarios, 38 per cent of respondents would not rule out voting for Ford in 2014, which suggests he retains a base of support.

And nearly half of Toronto residents -- 47 per cent -- said they agree that "Mayor Ford is doing things at City Hall that I want him to keep doing."

Despite calls for Ford's resignation after the mayor admitted to smoking crack cocaine in a "drunken stupor," an earlier poll pegged his current job performance rating at 40 per cent. His approval ratings remain highest in the suburbs:

But being a known political figure is key to winning a municipal election. While 98 per cent of respondents were familiar with Ford, 83 per cent with Chow and 76 per with Tory, only 64 per cent of respondents were familiar with Stintz and 16 per cent with Soknacki.

The latest poll was conducted between Nov. 8 and 12 on behalf of CTV News, CP24 and CFRB Newstalk 1010 Radio. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 per cent.