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Former Mayor John Tory is expected to officially endorse Ana Bailao, Global News has learned, in a last ditch effort to give the mayoral candidate a boost ahead of election day on Monday.
Sources with direct knowledge of the situation said Tory and the Bailao campaign have been formalizing the endorsement, including the format, which could be publicized as early as Wednesday.
Sources said there was also discussion about whether Tory would participate in campaign events with Bailao, with just days to go before Torontonians cast their ballot.
At an unrelated news conference outside Queen’s Park, Bailao wouldn’t confirm the imminent endorsement, but said she would “welcome endorsements from everybody” but added that she speaks with Tory frequently.
“I’ve worked with John Tory for years. He was actually one of the people who told me years ago to consider running for mayor,” Bailao said.
Bailao also boasted about her earlier endorsements, which have yet to translate into support in public opinion polls.
“I have endorsements from eight city councillors, from 11 members of Parliament, from six unions, from business from two former mayors and from the Toronto Star,” Bailao said.
Tory’s stamp of approval, however, could be seen as a motivator for voters to switch sides, especially considering that 62 per cent of Toronto voters backed Tory in the October 2022 mayoral election.
Despite the endorsements, however, Bailao has failed to top public opinion polls.
A recent Ipsos poll, for Global News and the Toronto Star, found that Bailao had 12 per cent support well behind front-runner Olivia Chow.
Campaign insiders, however, described a Tory endorsement as a “hail mary pass” ahead of the election.
Other sources told Global News Tory had been considering an endorsement for weeks, but was advised by those close to him to stay out of the race, citing the lacklustre support for Bailao and the lack of runway for an endorsement to have a meaningful impact.
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