Ottawa poll gives Watson big lead, Doucet hope

A poll released Wednesday suggests Ottawa mayoral candidate Jim Watson has the support of an estimated 43 per cent of voters a commanding lead over that of his nearest rival, Larry O'Brien, who might soon be overtaken by Clive Doucet.

The poll, conducted by Leger Marketing for the Ottawa Sun newspaper, has O'Brien, the incumbent, in second place, with an estimated 15 per cent of respondents' support.

But it suggests Doucet's campaign, which garnered 12 per cent of respondents' votes, is gaining quickly and looking to steal supporters in the final days leading up to the Oct. 25 municipal election.

"The next mayor is going to be Mr. Watson or Mr. Doucet, and the difference between us is going to be very, very tight," Doucet told CBC News Wednesday.

"We welcome any support from every corner, just as we have throughout the campaign."

Watson, who spent the morning shaking hands downtown, said he won't scale back his campaign despite the big lead.

"I'm out here not taking anything for granted and earning every vote one person at a time," Watson said.

Doucet's gain was likely due to candidate Alex Cullen dropping out of the mayoral race at the end of August, Watson said.

Consultant Walter Robinson, O'Brien's former chief of staff, said Doucet is poised to pick up more support.

"If there is a protest vote or a 'different' vote I want to be respectful of Clive's campaign then it's not going to be [Andy] Haydon ... it's Doucet," Robinson said.

O'Brien's campaign team said he would not comment on the latest poll.

Six per cent of those polled chose Haydon, two per cent picked Mike Maguire and a further 21 per cent remain undecided or chose not to answer. The Leger poll numbers are considered accurate to within plus or minus four per cent, 19 times out of 20.

While encouraged by the poll, Doucet said things can only get better for his campaign. He said he was heartened by Naheed Nenshi's mayoral victory Tuesday in Calgary.

Like Nenshi, Doucet is banking on new voters who may not have been reflected in Wednesday's poll.

"The world has changed," he said. "A lot of my supporters don't even have land lines they use cellphones so they can't even be polled."