Saskatchewan municipal elections (Oct 25)

[Hatman 🍁]

Tomorrow there are municipal elections in Saskatchewan.

The mayoral race in Saskatoon is expected to be close again. In 2012, conservative-leaning mayor Don Atchison was re-elected by a 52-47 margin.

This time it's a three way fight between Atchison, businesswoman Kelley Moore (a centrist), and councillor Charlie Clark, who has NDP connections. Clark represents the most left leaning ward in the city.

Recent polls
Mainstreet/Postmedia:
Atchison: 32
Clark: 28
Moore: 20

Insightrix:
Atchison: 28
Moore: 24
Clark: 21

So, as you can see voters aren't going to be able to choose who to strategically vote for to defeat Atchison, as the two polls are contradictory.

In Regina, conservative leaning mayor Michael Fougere will be easily re-elected. Mainstreet did a poll earlier in the month which had him at 73%. It's unclear who his main opponent is, as all other candidates are polling below 10%. My bet is Tony Fiacco, a former Saskatchewan Party candidate (and brother of former mayor Pat Fiacco) will finish 2nd. Another interesting candidate is topless rights activist Evangeline Godron who has run for the Greens in the past.

[Hatman 🍁]

Profile of today's by-elections: http://canadianelectionatlas.blogspot.ca/2016/10/2016-saskatchewan-municipal-elections.html

[Hatman 🍁]

Just found this: http://globalnews.ca/news/3027725/zach-galifianakis-gives-last-minute-shoutout-to-saskatoon-mayoral-candidate/?sf40009503=1

Zach Galifianakis endorsed Charlie Clark!

Speaking of which, it looks like he's about to win too (hasn't been called yet)

Clark 31,600
Atchison 28,935
Moore 17,013

(66/69 polls in)

[136or142]

Just found this: http://globalnews.ca/news/3027725/zach-galifianakis-gives-last-minute-shoutout-to-saskatoon-mayoral-candidate/?sf40009503=1

Zach Galifianakis endorsed Charlie Clark!

Speaking of which, it looks like he's about to win too (hasn't been called yet)

Clark 31,600
Atchison 28,935
Moore 17,013

(66/69 polls in)

Looks like the Mainstreet poll was moore or less right about Moore. 

I think Mainstreet Technologies used to be a pretty poor polling firm but they clearly seem to have worked out whatever problems they had.

[Hatman 🍁]

Mainstreet must have got more press, so Moore voters swing last minute to him. Such is how municipal elections go sometimes. Usually it goes the other way with the centrist candidate's votes going to the conservative to stop the leftist (look at Ottawa in 2006 or more recently in Winnipeg).

Final Regina results:

Michael Fougere: 24,992 (70.3%)
Tony Fiacco: 4,092 (11.5%)
Jim Elliott: 3,306 (9.3%)
Wayne Ast: 2,413 (6.8%)
Evangeline Godron: 767 (2.2%)

Turnout: 20.4%

[Hatman 🍁]

Charlie Clark has won!



Charlie Clark: 32,565 (40.7%)
Don Atchison: 29,518 (36.9%)
Kelley Moore: 17,381 (21.7%)
Devon Hein: 548 (0.7%)

Meanwhile in Prince Albert the TRUMP-like candidate (Morrow) is crushed:

Greg Dionne: 4,450 (43.5%)
Martin Ring: 2,774 (27.1%)
Josh Morrow: 1,562 (15.3%)
Conrad Burns: 1,447 (14.1%)

[136or142]

Charlie Clark has won!



Charlie Clark: 32,565 (40.7%)
Don Atchison: 29,518 (36.9%)
Kelley Moore: 17,381 (21.7%)
Devon Hein: 548 (0.7%)

Meanwhile in Prince Albert the TRUMP-like candidate (Morrow) is crushed:

Greg Dionne: 4,450 (43.5%)
Martin Ring: 2,774 (27.1%)
Josh Morrow: 1,562 (15.3%)
Conrad Burns: 1,447 (14.1%)

Former N.D.P MLA and Cabinet Minister Deb Higgins lost for re-election in Moose Jaw, but 2007 NDP candidate Randy Goulden was re-elected to Yorkton City Council.

[Hatman 🍁]

Another former NDP MLA, Pat Lorje lost her seat on Saskatoon City Council. She was the only incumbent to lose.

On a good note though, their city council has reached gender parity, so there's that.

[PresidentSamTilden]

A couple questions:

1. There's a mayor of Saskatchewan? Isn't that a whole province? Is a mayor equivalent to a US governor?

2. Seems like the NDP has been doing well out in middle Canada. What policies have they enacted/are they working on enacting?

[136or142]

A couple questions:

1. There's a mayor of Saskatchewan? Isn't that a whole province? Is a mayor equivalent to a US governor?

2. Seems like the NDP has been doing well out in middle Canada. What policies have they enacted/are they working on enacting?

There's a mayor of Saskatoon.  One of the two relatively large cities in Saskatchewan.

[Hatman 🍁]

A couple questions:

1. There's a mayor of Saskatchewan? Isn't that a whole province? Is a mayor equivalent to a US governor?

Just noticed the typo in the OP, it should've read "Saskatoon" not "Saskatchewan". Of course, I also provided a blog post explaining a little bit more information

[DL]

Another former NDP MLA, Pat Lorje lost her seat on Saskatoon City Council. She was the only incumbent to lose.

Lorje was a very conservative New Democrat - she lost her seat to a much more progressive candidate who was backed by Ryan Meili and all the people backing Charlie Clark

[136or142]

Other New Democrats

Cameron Robock defeated for Estevan city council.
Don Mitchell reelected to Moose Jaw city council
Len Taylor reelected to North Battleford city council
Don Cody reelected to Prince Albert city council

Don't recognize any other names.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/municipal-election-results-saskatchewan-1.3823500

[Hatman 🍁]

Another former NDP MLA, Pat Lorje lost her seat on Saskatoon City Council. She was the only incumbent to lose.

Lorje was a very conservative New Democrat - she lost her seat to a much more progressive candidate who was backed by Ryan Meili and all the people backing Charlie Clark

I figured as much; I did hear that progressives now have a majority on city council?

[Hatman 🍁]

Notes:
Ward 7 (the south centre one) was the only ward Atchison lost that he won in 2012.
Atchison also won the advance vote overall.

Ward 4 (west centre) was closer than Ward 7. Looks like there are some new suburban developments in it that are more conservative leaning.

Moore finished 3rd in all wards, but came close to finishing 2nd (39 votes behind in Ward 2, which is kind of in the southwest corner). Her best ward was Ward 3 though in the far west of the city.

[Hatman 🍁]

Map by polling division from the Star-Phoenix