Dunderdale, Tories fall to 3rd place in poll

A poll released Monday showed that voter enthusiasm for Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale continues to erode, with both her and the governing Tories now trailing the two Opposition parties.

Corporate Research Associates, which releases a tracking poll every three months on voter intentions in Newfoundland and Labrador, says support for the Tories stands at 27 per cent, down from 38 per cent last February. [Read the full poll results here.]

The PCs' loss appears to the Liberals' gain, with the Grits leaping from 22 per cent to 36 per cent in the same period.

The NDP's support was down slightly, from 39 per cent to 37 per cent.

Halifax-based CRA also found little voter happiness with the Tories. About 63 per cent of voters said they were either mostly or completely dissatisfied with the performance of Dunderdale and the government.

That's a steep change from May 2012, when that number stood at 33 per cent. The number of respondents who reported being completely dissatisfied had tripled in the last year.

Meanwhile, CRA for the first time also put Dunderdale in last place among the three provincial party leaders. About 21 per cent of respondents said Dunderdale was their preference for leader.

Interim Liberal Leader Dwight Ball was pegged at 24 per cent, while NDP Leader Lorraine Michael strengthened her lead in this category by moving to 36 per cent.

CRA surveyed 802 adults between May 8 and May 30. Many of those surveyed were questioned in the wake of the May 13 federal byelection in Labrador, which saw federal Leader Justin Trudeau campaign for victor Yvonne Jones.

The provincial Liberals are still without a permanent leader. To date, Ball is the only declared candidate for the job. Nominations close in early July, with the convention set for November.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.