Kelley Moore leads new poll in Saskatoon mayoral election

A new Mainstreet Research/Postmedia poll shows Kelley Moore has pulled ahead of her competitors in the race to become Saskatoon's mayor.

In the poll, Moore pulled in 27 per cent support, followed by Don Atchison at 25 per cent and Charlie Clark at 23 per cent. Newcomer Devon Hein received four per cent support.

"(Atchison) and Moore are locked in a tight battle," said David Valentin, executive vice-president of Mainstreet Research. "Meanwhile, Charlie Clark appears to be stalled at 23%, the same level of support he registered last week and running a close third."

• CBC Radio One hosts Saskatoon mayoral candidates' debate Monday morning
• New Mainstreet poll shows tight 3-way race for mayor of Saskatoon
• Race to become Saskatoon mayor heats up

While the poll is positive news for Moore, who jumped ahead by five per cent, incumbent mayor Don Atchison's support could be slipping.

"We've seen Atchison's numbers be relatively steady and then trend downwards, something he'll need to reverse if he plans to return to the mayor's chair," he said. "Even with three candidates splitting the anti-incumbent vote, Atchison is now in second."

Valentin said the poll seems to be registering a shift in this year's election.

"This poll, taken after the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce Debate and CBC SaskatoonMorning roundtable, appears to be capturing new campaign dynamics," he said. "There are still plenty more debates to go, including a major debate being held by the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, candidates will have more opportunities to draw contrasts and present their ideas and solutions."

However, with a margin of error of +/- 3.36per cent, as well as the number of undecided voters sitting at 21 per cent, it could still be anyone's game.

"Support for all three candidates is relatively soft which means there is room for plenty of movement," he said.

Mainstreet surveyed a random sample of 852 Saskatoon Residents by Smart IVRTM on October 4, 2016. A mixture of landlines and cell phones were surveyed. Margin of error: +/- 3.36%, 19 times out of 20. Results were weighed by age and gender based on the 2011 Canadian Census.