CRA poll: Earle McCurdy says growing undecided segment good for NDP

The leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democrats says the growing number of undecided voters is good news for his party as the province heads into a general election this fall.

Earle McCurdy said it's very significant that 28 per cent of respondents in the latest Corporate Research Associates quarterly poll have not decided who they will vote for on Nov. 30.

"That tells me is there is a softening of the Liberal support there and that there's more votes up for grabs," McCurdy told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

But chairman and CEO of CRA Don Mills said the NDP shouldn't put too much weight into swaying the undecided respondents, since they typically don't vote, or vote in a pattern that matches those who have decided.

"So if you're going to change the voting behaviour of people you really have to look at changing the decided voter at the moment and getting them to switch parties," Mills said.

The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador remains the preferred choice among prospective voters, but appears to have peaked, according to the most recent quarterly poll. .

The Liberals received the support of 48 per cent of those contacted by CRA between Aug. 11 and Sept. 2, which continues a steady decline in support for the official Opposition.

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It's the ninth consecutive CRA poll that the Liberals have come out with a clear lead among the three major parties, but it's well below the 60 per cent support received in late 2014.

That support appears to be bleeding off to the New Democrats, which received the backing of 25 per cent of respondents, and pulls the NDP to within two points of the governing Progressive Conservatives. The PCs remain steady at 27 per cent support. 

The NDP has surged from a low of 10 per cent support in December. The turnaround coincides with a change in party leadership, with McCurdy taking the reins in March.

McCurdy said the credit should go to the entire NDP team.

"It's satisfying that our overall approach of our leadership in the party is being reflected in gains in the polls and we'll keep slugging away … trying to convince people that it's time for orange," he said.

One-third of respondents remain undecided, up from 22 per cent in June.

The poll results are less than impressive for the PCs. The party has hovered around the 30 per cent mark, and now appears to be in a two-way battle with the NDP for Opposition status as the Nov. 30 provincial general election looms.

The PC hold 28 seats in the House of Assembly, and have held power since 2003.

But the Liberals have surged in popularity over the past two years, winning a string of byelection victories and growing the caucus to 16 MHAs.

The NDP hold three seats.

Leaders' popularity

Liberal Leader Dwight Ball's popularity also remains strong at 42 per cent, while Premier Paul Davis dipped to 24 per cent. McCurdy appears to have levelled off at 17 per cent.

In terms of government's performance, 49 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the PCs.

These poll results are based on a sample of 812 adult Newfoundland and Labrador residents, although not all respondents were asked all questions.

The margin of error for for the question on party preference, for instance, is 4.3 per cent, 95 times out of 100.