Can Blue Rodeo or Rush swing the balance of power in Toronto?
It may be unlikely, but both of Toronto’s mayoral candidates have been pushing out endorsements from high-profile supporters as the race to lead the city tightens, hoping rock stars, former politicians and sitting MPs can give them a potentially decisive edge.
“You’re not going to win or lose your campaign based on a handful or one endorsement,” said Blue Knox, a political strategist and John Tory’s former director of communications.
“But for a lot of voters, endorsements are a proxy for values.”
Through the mayoral race, both incumbent Olivia Chow and challenger Brad Bradford have netted support from other politicians and local figures.
Among the endorsements, Bradford secured Rush’s Geddy Lee, while Chow can boast Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy, who performed at her campaign launch.
Experts suggest that support alone is rarely the only factor in helping people decide how to vote, but big names can help create momentum and allow candidates to widen their message to new groups.
The power of the endorsement
Bradford’s campaign has dedicated a section of its website to endorsements, listing off current and former politicians, as well as local businesses.
Chow, meanwhile, has received the endorsement of a number of unions. Most recently, she accepted the support of construction union LIUNA Local 183.
Knox said support from those different, clearly defined groups can help motivate voters who already identify with their values.
“If I am somebody who believes strongly in education and that is the issue that matters the most to me when I’m voting, I would maybe see what the education organizations are saying, who they’re supporting,” she said.
“Just like if I owned a small business in Toronto … and I wasn’t too plugged into the campaign, I might look around me to see what the local BIAs are supporting, what the board of trade is supporting and which candidates they’re supporting.”
Spreading the word
Since many of the endorsements in Toronto’s mayoral race come from people involved in the world of politics, their support doesn’t necessarily come with a major new reach.
Instead, candidates have to tell people about endorsements themselves.
Harneet Singh, the managing principal of EOK Consults, said stacking endorsements and announcing them from the campaign can be a boost because it suggests progress — and helps broader the message.
“I think endorsements do one good thing, that is to show momentum when it comes to a candidate like Brad Bradford,” he explained.
“You want to show that you are not only catering to one side of the political coalition. So having endorsements from Liberal MPs and then of course Conservative MPs always helps.”
Knox, who has been involved in political campaigns for years, said being able to rattle off endorsements helps give the impression of a “winning team” for supporters and volunteers.
“From a campaign perspective, the more you have people saying, ‘We love your candidate, we love you, we want you to be elected,’ the better,” she said.
“You want people singing your praises from every corner in every way from every organization. The more people you have showing support for you and your candidate, the more momentum.”
That momentum could be especially important at a time when the race is narrowing — and fresh data from the City of Toronto shows advance voting is up more than 70 per cent compared to 2023.
The most recent poll from Liaison Strategies has Chow at 51 per cent among decided and leaning voters with Bradford polling at 46 per cent.
Liberal MPs split on endorsements
One interesting dynamic of the Toronto mayoral race is what’s for now a split of endorsements from serving Liberal MPs in the Mark Carney government.
“You have folks who typically look to party stripe for how to support, they’re kind of split between the mayoral candidates,” Knox said of the Liberal endorsements.
“Then folks need to dig a little deeper and that’s where some of those additional endorsements will be helpful for a voter.”
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Singh said, with the caucus split, Bradford and Chow were looking to tap into the local loyalty some voters have for successful Liberal MPs as well.
“Just being a Liberal MP is not the only thing you’re going for, you’re trying to go for the local brand,” he explained. “I think the goal for any candidate is to ensure that they can tap into the local networks and the grassroots mobilization ability of a candidate [to help get out the vote].”
David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies, believes the effect of endorsements is more impactful in council races than on the mayor’s ballot.
“I think that at the mayoral level, there’s some advantage to them as well, but it’s a lot smaller than impact,” he said.
Valentin said the way Liberal MPs have split in the election may create some confusion for voters.
“The Liberal MPs have been endorsing in both directions,” he said. “So I think if you’re a Liberal voter, you’re getting conflicting information right now.”
There are 50 more candidates running to be Toronto’s next mayor. You can access the full list here.
