TORONTO, October 6, 2026 – Toronto mayoral candidate Chris Alexander announced on the morning of October 6 that he is withdrawing from the election. Advance voting in Toronto officially began at 10 a.m. that day, and Alexander announced his decision about half an hour before polls opened. He said recent polls had not shifted as expected and that he no longer saw a clear path to victory.
Alexander had previously ranked behind Olivia Chow and Councillor Brad Bradford in several polls. He said he wanted to make the decision before voters began casting ballots, so that voters could support candidates who would remain in the race through the end of the campaign.
He also said he is not endorsing any other mayoral candidate at this time, and encouraged voters to compare each candidate’s platform for themselves.
Alexander entered the mayoral race in late July. During the campaign, he raised issues including freezing property taxes, increasing housing supply, improving TTC service, addressing hate crimes and responding to food security concerns.
He served as a federal Conservative Member of Parliament from 2011 to 2015, and was Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration in Stephen Harper’s government.
Alexander had been scheduled to take part in a mayoral debate at Toronto Metropolitan University on the evening of October 6. Following his withdrawal, the debate will feature Chow and Bradford.
In recent polls, Alexander’s support had remained behind the two leading candidates. With his exit, the next stage of the mayoral campaign is expected to focus more heavily on Chow and Bradford.
Advance voting in Toronto runs from October 6 to 11. Election day is October 26.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
