The campaign has been slow to rise in the capital, but the last two weeks have been so intense for the three leaders that we have almost forgotten the intimidating shadow of Régis Labeaume. The October 12 poll foreshadowed a very cutesy municipal campaign. In three and a half months, the supports had barely budged. Marie-Josée Savard consolidated her lead (36%) ahead of Jean-François Gosselin (15%), while Bruno Marchand’s campaign stagnated at 13% support.
Then there was this famous debate where the runner-up of Régis Labeaume appeared badly, giving his opponents the opportunity to make gains. This was confirmed with the poll of October 28, which gave Bruno Marchand a notable breakthrough, up nine percentage points.
Since then, morale has been high in the ranks of his party, Quebec strong and proud, where we think we can counter the strategic vote for Mr.me Savard. “People now see us as a way to beat Gosselin,” a party source confided this week.
On the side of Quebec 21, an internal source assessed this week that voters had noticed “the progress of Jean-François Gosselin” for four years. But the entire team seemed desperate on Wednesday when the chief’s chief of staff, Richard Côté, bitterly attacked the media, accusing them of being harsher with his candidate than with others. A speech quickly relayed by the star hosts of Radio X, who will thus be reconciled with Mr. Gosselin at the end of the race.
As for Mme Savard, to whom her opponents reproached for hiding at the end of the race, she continued to “stick to her game plan”, confided a member of her entourage. In his team, we even say that they do not feel “that things have changed that much since the survey”.
Difficult for everyone … or almost
The campaign will not have been easy for any of them. Bruno Marchand got caught up in a debate on the taxation of properties located along the tram route. Renowned champion of communication, he was rather erased from the televised debate of Radio-Canada.
For meme Savard, this debate was undoubtedly an ordeal. Not only did she fail a quiz on the city, but she struggled to find the right tone to respond to criticism aimed at her mentor, Régis Labeaume.
For Jean-François Gosselin, who had done pretty well since the start of the campaign, it was in the last few days that he seemed the least solid, placing himself on the defensive by refusing until the very last minute on Friday. afternoon to present documentation supposed to validate his light rail project.
In this race, no one will be able to boast of a flawless course, if not paradoxically the candidates Jean Rousseau and Jackie Smith, whose good performance has been praised by several observers despite weak popular support.
“Mme Smith is the surprise of the campaign for many people, ”noted the former vice-president of the executive committee of Régis Labeaume, Julie Lemieux, on the program. First hour Radio-Canada the day after the debate, October 21. And to add that Mr. Rousseau had meanwhile been “excellent”.
Towards a multicolored advice?
What to watch for on the evening of the 7th? All. With five teams in the running, the council promises to be colorful, without an ultra-dominant party as in the past. Since the majority of Team Labeaume advisers did not show up, we are dealing with open and unpredictable races in most districts.
In particular, we will look at the extent to which Québec 21 will be able to make gains in the suburbs. First concentrated in Beauport, the party had made a breakthrough in Neufchâtel-Lebourgneuf during the partial which followed the departure of Jonatan Julien, in December 2018. Gains would be within reach in the north of the city, towards Saint- Émile and Lac-Saint-Charles, for example.
We will also monitor certain specific struggles, as in Saint-Roch, where councilor Pierre-Luc Lachance (ex-Team Labeaume, now with Bruno Marchand) and the former press secretary of the outgoing mayor, Paul-Christian Nolin, clash. What will happen in the west of the city (Sainte-Foy, Sillery, etc.)? There, we will be dealing with a close fight between the candidates of Team Marie-Josée Savard and Quebec strong and proud.
Finally, let’s not forget the districts where there are running mate (candidates who present themselves in the name of the leader to allow him or her to have a seat in the event of defeat at the post of mayor). All the chefs have a running mate with the exception of Marie-Josée Savard. For her, it will be the town hall or nothing.