Cathy Bennett far outstripping Ryan Cleary in Windsor Lake: poll

Former MP Ryan Cleary has just a fraction of the voter support that Liberal Cathy Bennett is enjoying in the race for Windsor Lake, a poll released Friday suggests.

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Cleary, who shocked New Democrats just days after being defeated in the federal election in St. John's South-Mount Pearl, is running for the governing PCs in the St. John's-area district.

But an Abacus Data poll, done for VOCM News, suggestsCleary has just 16 per cent of support among decided voters in the largely suburban district, or 58 percentage points behind Bennett.

Abacus found that 74 per cent of decided voters are planning to vote for Bennett.

NDP candidate Don Rowe trails the pack with 10 per cent.

'Pushing away supporters'

About 23 per cent of those contactedsaid they were either undecided or are not going to vote.

"Although we didn't ask respondents their opinion of Mr. Cleary directly, evidence suggests he may be pushing away supporters," Ottawa-based Abacus said in a statement.

Abacus interviewed 500 adults in the district between Nov. 12 and Nov. 16. The margin of error is 4.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

The poll is the fourth in a series of surveys Abacus Data did for VOCM News. The preceding three polls found that PC Leader Paul Davis and cabinet ministers Steve Kent and Dan Crummell are all trailing in their metro-area districts.

The election will be held Nov. 30.

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