WE really need to get rid of this guy

[spaminator]

Ford Tories trail leaderless Liberals in new poll
New Liaison poll numbers spell more bad news for struggling PCs

Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Jun 19, 2026 • Last updated 22 hours ago • 2 minute read

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to the media before heading into the caucus room at Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Photo by Peter Power /Postmedia File

OTTAWA — It’s more bad news for the Doug Ford Tories.


A little over a week after a new Angus Reid poll showed Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s approval ratings had reached all-time lows, new numbers released Friday by Liaison Strategies show the leaderless Ontario Liberals edging a slight lead over the Tories.

“The Liberals have moved from a tie to a three-point lead,” said Liaison Principal David Valentin.

“That is not a runaway lead, but the movement this month is against Ford. The PCs are down two points from May, the Liberals are up one, and the NDP is up two.”

If an election were held today, 38% of decided voters said they’d vote for the Ontario Liberals, with just 35% opting for the Doug Ford PCs.

The Ontario NDP continue their slight upward trajectory by snagging 22% of the vote.

Ford’s approval ratings reach personal lows
This continues a trend that began late last year, which saw support for the Tories slip as support for the Liberals — and to a lesser extent the Ontario NDP — climb.


Liaison’s numbers also correlate to last week’s Angus Reid data on approval ratings for provincial premiers, which put Ford dead last compared to his counterparts — joining Alberta’s Danielle Smith and B.C.’s David Eby as the least popular premiers in Canada.

According to Liaison, 69% of those polled do not approve of Ford’s performance as premier, compared to 26% who do approve, and five per cent who said they weren’t sure.

“The province’s direction numbers are no better,” Valentin said.

“Twenty-nine per cent say Ontario is headed in the right direction, while 66% say it is headed in the wrong direction. That is an extremely difficult environment for an incumbent government.”

Many unhappy with the health-care system
Liaison’s survey also identified health care as a key frustration point for Ontarians, with 60% reporting somebody in their household having trouble accessing timely health care during the past year.

As well, 67% of those polled said Ontario’s health-care system is worse than it was a year ago, with 20% saying it’s about the same, and 10% saying its gotten better.

Sixty-six per cent also said they don’t trust the current government to improve health care in Ontario.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume

Ford Tories trail leaderless Liberals in new poll

Doug Ford’s Tories have coughed up their lead to the leaderless Liberals as Ontarians lose patience with the health-care system. Read more.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

John Tory Jr. seeks federal Liberal nomination for Beaches-East York riding
’I have known myself, and my friends and family have known me, to be a Liberal for a long time’

Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Jul 02, 2026 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read

John Tory Jr.,
John Tory Jr., the 47-year-old son of former Toronto mayor John Tory. LinkedIn

The federal riding of Beaches-East York is about to get a familiar name in the running to replace outgoing Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith.


John Tory Jr., the 47-year-old son of Toronto’s former mayor, is seeking the Liberal nomination as a Beaches-East York candidate.

“When I meet with people, and I’m out in the community, and I give my name, there’s obviously a moment of recognition,” the pilot and aviation executive told TVrg.

“But people are not terribly interested in who my family is or who I am in terms of who I’m related to. They’re interested in what I can do for them.”

Why Liberal and not Conservative?
Tory Sr., who resigned as Toronto’s mayor in 2023 after disclosing an extra-marital relationship with a younger former staff member, joined the Progressive Conservatives as a teen and led the provincial party from 2004-09. He defeated Doug Ford and Olivia Chow to take the mayor’s seat in 2014.

Tory Jr., however, said he has always been more interested in the Liberals.


“I have known myself, and my friends and family have known me, to be a Liberal for a long time,” he told TVrg. “I can’t put a date on it, but as I got older, and started raising a family.”

As a married father of three (ages 13, 16, and 18) with wife Melanie, Tory Jr.’s special interests are education and health care.

“I want those public institutions to be strong for them. And so, to me, that’s a Liberal government,” he said.

This will be Tory Jr.’s first election race.

How the seat came open
Erskine-Smith’s failed bid for the Ontario Liberal leadership led him to the neighbouring Scarborough Southwest riding provincially, making his federal seat available.

After Erskine-Smith’s unsuccessful appeal in which he alleged voting irregularities, he later confirmed he will resign his seat in the House of Commons this summer. He’s now considering a run for Toronto city council.

However, a nomination race is still up in the air.

Prime Minister Mark Carney skipped nominating meetings and appointed candidates in University-Rosedale (Danielle Martin) and Scarborough-Southwest (Dolly Begum), with both easily winning their byelections.


What Tory Jr. says of his dad
On his father’s political knowledge, Tory Jr. told TVO his dad has ” been an adviser to me throughout my life.”

“He’s somebody who understands a lot about politics, and he gives me the same advice that I think he gives to other people — which is just to say that it’s really about how sure I am in what I’m saying, and in my message, and in what I’m trying to do. It’s not about what he may have done.”

His 72-year-old dad recently confirmed he would not be running to reclaim his former job as Toronto’s mayor.

“I think he’s proud of the fact that his time in public service has inspired one of his children to put their name forward and seek elective office, and to try to make a difference,” his son said.

jstevenson@postmedia.com

TVO Today | Current Affairs Journalism, Documentaries and Podcasts

tvo.org

John Tory Jr. seeks federal Liberal nomination for Beaches-East York riding

The federal riding of Beaches-East York is about to get a familiar name in the running for the Liberal nomination. Read on.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

John Tory Jr. seeks federal Liberal nomination for Beaches-East York riding
’I have known myself, and my friends and family have known me, to be a Liberal for a long time’

Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Jul 02, 2026 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read

John Tory Jr.,
John Tory Jr., the 47-year-old son of former Toronto mayor John Tory. LinkedIn

The federal riding of Beaches-East York is about to get a familiar name in the running to replace outgoing Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith.


John Tory Jr., the 47-year-old son of Toronto’s former mayor, is seeking the Liberal nomination as a Beaches-East York candidate.

“When I meet with people, and I’m out in the community, and I give my name, there’s obviously a moment of recognition,” the pilot and aviation executive told TVrg.

“But people are not terribly interested in who my family is or who I am in terms of who I’m related to. They’re interested in what I can do for them.”

Why Liberal and not Conservative?
Tory Sr., who resigned as Toronto’s mayor in 2023 after disclosing an extra-marital relationship with a younger former staff member, joined the Progressive Conservatives as a teen and led the provincial party from 2004-09. He defeated Doug Ford and Olivia Chow to take the mayor’s seat in 2014.

Tory Jr., however, said he has always been more interested in the Liberals.


“I have known myself, and my friends and family have known me, to be a Liberal for a long time,” he told TVrg. “I can’t put a date on it, but as I got older, and started raising a family.”

As a married father of three (ages 13, 16, and 18) with wife Melanie, Tory Jr.’s special interests are education and health care.

“I want those public institutions to be strong for them. And so, to me, that’s a Liberal government,” he said.

This will be Tory Jr.’s first election race.

How the seat came open
Erskine-Smith’s failed bid for the Ontario Liberal leadership led him to the neighbouring Scarborough Southwest riding provincially, making his federal seat available.

After Erskine-Smith’s unsuccessful appeal in which he alleged voting irregularities, he later confirmed he will resign his seat in the House of Commons this summer. He’s now considering a run for Toronto city council.

However, a nomination race is still up in the air.

Prime Minister Mark Carney skipped nominating meetings and appointed candidates in University-Rosedale (Danielle Martin) and Scarborough-Southwest (Dolly Begum), with both easily winning their byelections.


What Tory Jr. says of his dad
On his father’s political knowledge, Tory Jr. told TVO his dad has ” been an adviser to me throughout my life.”

“He’s somebody who understands a lot about politics, and he gives me the same advice that I think he gives to other people — which is just to say that it’s really about how sure I am in what I’m saying, and in my message, and in what I’m trying to do. It’s not about what he may have done.”

His 72-year-old dad recently confirmed he would not be running to reclaim his former job as Toronto’s mayor.

“I think he’s proud of the fact that his time in public service has inspired one of his children to put their name forward and seek elective office, and to try to make a difference,” his son said.

jstevenson@postmedia.com

TVO Today | Current Affairs Journalism, Documentaries and Podcasts

tvo.org

John Tory Jr. seeks federal Liberal nomination for Beaches-East York riding

The federal riding of Beaches-East York is about to get a familiar name in the running for the Liberal nomination. Read on.

torontosun.com

it will be interesting to see if name recognition helps him win.

 

[spaminator]

Graham Platner, Democrat accused of rape, exits key U.S. Senate race
Political newcomer won last month's Democratic primary to oppose Republican Sen. Susan Collins

Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Frankie TAGGART
Published Jul 08, 2026 • 3 minute read

After scandals plagued his campaign, Graham Platner will not be Maine's Democratic Senate candidate in November's midterm election against Republican Senator Susan Collins (R).
After scandals plagued his campaign, Graham Platner will not be Maine's Democratic Senate candidate in November's midterm election against Republican Senator Susan Collins (R). Photo by Sophie Park, LEIGH VOGEL /GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Graham Platner, a scandal-plagued Democratic Senate nominee whose insurgent rise had drawn comparisons to Donald Trump, ended his campaign Wednesday after a rape allegation threatened to derail one of his party’s best chances of flipping a Republican-held seat.


Platner, a Marine veteran, oysterman and political newcomer, won last month’s Democratic primary in the northeastern state of Maine to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November’s midterm elections.


His withdrawal gives Maine Democrats only days to regroup in a race central to the party’s hopes of regaining control of the U.S. Senate.

“We are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said in a video posted on X. “This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt and it most certainly is not.”

“I intend to file my paperwork to withdraw.”

Under Maine law, Democrats can replace Platner on the ballot because he quit before a Monday deadline. The state party has until July 27 to choose a new nominee.

The scramble comes after Politico reported Monday that Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident who previously dated Platner, accused him of forcing her to have sex in late 2021 despite her repeated objections.


Platner, also 41, strongly denied the allegation, calling it “troubling, serious and false” and saying any accusation of non-consensual behaviour was “categorically untrue.”

But his campaign rapidly lost support across the Democratic Party, from the Washington establishment to progressive lawmakers and activists who had previously defended him.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Kirsten Gillibrand urged him to withdraw, warning that the party’s campaign arm would not invest in the Maine race if he remained on the ballot.

“We’re not doing it because of the allegations, we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power,” Platner said in the video on X.

Several other former Platner supporters in the Senate called for him to step aside, while the Maine Democratic Party said “principle does not bend based on party affiliation” and urged Platner to quit.


The collapse of his campaign is a dramatic reversal for a candidate who only weeks ago was celebrated by supporters as proof that a blunt anti-establishment message could break through with voters tired of cautious Democratic politics.

Fervent following
Platner built a fervent following in Maine with attacks on corporate power, the political donor class and Collins, whom he accused of serving billionaires rather than ordinary people.

His appeal drew comparisons to Trump’s own disruptive rise: Personal magnetism, contempt for establishment politics and a promise to break a system many voters see as corrupt or exhausted.

But the qualities that thrilled his supporters also unsettled Democrats who feared his personal baggage could cost them a winnable race.

Even before the latest allegation, Platner’s campaign had been dogged by old incendiary online posts, sexually explicit messages sent to women early in his marriage, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he later covered up and allegations that he had mistreated women.


Platner has acknowledged past struggles with undiagnosed PTSD and alcohol abuse, but has denied physically harming former partners.

His exit leaves Democrats facing a compressed and politically fraught replacement process.

Progressives have already begun pushing for a nominee who can inherit Platner’s movement and policy agenda, while party leaders are under pressure to choose someone able to reassure moderates, independents and female voters in a state where Collins has repeatedly survived difficult races.

Collins, a five-term Republican and one of her party’s few remaining moderates in Congress, is among Democrats’ top targets this year.

But the turmoil around Platner has given her campaign a reprieve and exposed Democratic divisions over candidate vetting, populism and electability.

In the video, Platner called on “the Democratic establishment” to step up for the “will and the values” of the people of Maine, a largely rural and rugged state.

Maine is one of the party’s clearest Senate pickup opportunities and Democrats likely need to gain several seats to win back the chamber.

Graham Platner, Democrat accused of rape, exits key U.S. Senate race

The Marine veteran, oysterman and political newcomer won last month's Democratic primary to oppose Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Read on.

torontosun.com