NDP focus of mystery poller

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Someone is polling Kamloopsians about a potential NDP challenger for Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake — but who it is remains in the dark.

Kamloops-North Thompson NDP riding association president Rick Turner thinks it’s the provincial Liberals.

Kamloops-South Thompson Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger said his party is not conducting the poll.

The provincial NDP office staff, when asked by Turner, said it’s not them and again pointed the finger at the Liberals as possible culprits.

The three local people identified in the poll — declared candidates Cecile McVittie and Kathy Kendall, along with anti-HST local campaign chairman Chad Moats — each said they’re not doing the polling.

Kendall and Moats both pointed out the cost to do that kind of polling would be prohibitive for most people to do on their own.

The pollster, John Murney of Kontact Consulting in Regina, said he is bound by confidentiality to not reveal his client.

Murney did confirm the poll, the gist of the questions — which were sent to KTW — and that he is surveying 1,000 people in the city.

McVittie and Moats said they had received a call from the pollster.

In fact, that’s how Turner found out about it, when McVittie called him after listening to an answering-machine message about it and wondering what it was about.

Whoever is behind it is clearly looking at the candidate qualities.

The questions include voter preference and impressions of the three, along with questions to rank the importance of living in the riding, being well-known and having a strong voice.

Kendall, who doesn’t live in the riding, said she considers Kamloops to be “one entity, except during provincial elections,” and noted she has worked throughout the riding.

As for the results, the poll shows the race for the nomination is essentially between two people, with Kendall receiving 42 per cent in the candidate-preference question and Moats 58 per cent.

McVittie was preferred by none.

In terms of impressions, all three ranked highest in the no-opinion category (McVittie, 64 per cent; Kendall, 50 per cent; Moats, 40 per cent.)

Adding the favourable and very favourable rankings creates another 18 per cent for McVittie, 21 per cent for Moats and 40 per cent for Kendall.

Response to the need to live in the riding showed 90 per cent said it is very important, while  the rest ranked it as important.

Meanwhile, Moats likely has joined the two in the quest for the nomination as he planned to file the appropriate paperwork and fees with the provincial NDP office and local president Turner by the deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday, June 16.