NDP winning support on the right and left

The Globe and Mail:

Talk about a big orange tent. NDP supporters come from across the political spectrum as Jack Layton is successfully recruiting voters from all of the parties, including the Conservatives, according to a new EKOS Research poll.

“Unlike other parties, most of the current support for the NDP doesn’t come from an NDP voter in 2008. ... The majority of it is new vote,” EKOS pollster Frank Graves said.

About 15 per cent of the NDP’s new support is from Conservatives and Liberals; there’s disaffected Green Party voters in there, too. And the NDP Quebec voter is the old Bloc voter from 2008.

He calls the NDP support in Quebec and the huge lead it has there “the real deal.”

Then there was the premature collapse of the Green Party vote – “They’ve left early and gone to the NDP,” he said.

Now, a sizable portion has come from both Conservatives and Liberals – “It’s something I don’t think people would expect,” Mr. Graves said, pointing specifically to the switch among Tories.

“When you think about it, Jack Layton is kind of appealing to the same guy – the kind of, I hate to use the hackneyed phrase, but that Tim Hortons kind of average, working Canadian.”

It’s a voter Mr. Harper has been after for a long time, Mr. Graves said.

“But all of a sudden, you’ve got a guy come along who’s doing the same pitch – but instead of a grim guy this is a really friendly, chipper guy.”

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