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 Alexander 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. ‘I’m a realist’ Alexander said he will not be endorsing anyone in the race. He added that he “thought long and hard” about whether he would endorse another candidate, but that he couldn’t find a candidate that was “aligned.” Alexander said the the decision to quit the campaign was made “independently” and there were “no behind the scenes” conversations with other candidates or “quid pro quos” for a post-election role. “If I could help implement one or more of the ideas that we put forward in this campaign or that I thought was important for Toronto, I would definitely consider it,” he said. Alexander noted that he plans to go back to the private sector. “I think I will take a more lively interest in city issues,” he said. He urged voters to read all the platforms, including his, to see what candidates are offering. “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 said. “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. Don’t decide based on lawn signs, social media, or what your neighbour tells you. Have those conversations but make up your own mind.” When asked why he didn’t stick it out until the end, Alexander replied, “I’m a realist.” He noted that the other two campaigns were “quite far ahead” and he didn’t think he could catch up. “There are some people who say, ‘Everybody makes up their mind in the last week. Look at Ana Bailão.’ There is no guarantee of that,” Alexander said. Bailão saw a surge in support during the final stretch of the 2023 mayoral byelection after former mayor John Tory endorsed her as a candidate. He noted that this race is a different “beast” with an incumbent and “another candidate who has been running for a very long time.” “We thought we had a chance of catching up faster. It didn’t happen,” he said. He called his platform a “centrist, progressive, non-partisan, action-oriented agenda.” “It is out there for anyone to agree with and adopt,” he said. “If we’ve made one contribution to this race I think it is ideas and we have no ownership of those.” Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Olivia Chow acknowledged Alexander put forward “some really good ideas.” “I want to thank Chris Alexander for coming forward, for having some really good ideas on like building supportive housing, it was a very comprehensive package that he put forward,” she said. Toronto’s municipal election is scheduled for Oct. 26.
