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“Despite what the general public feels about the floor crossing, I think the fact that Prentice is doing such a good job is part of the reason why they crossed the floor to begin with, is part of the reason why support is up,” said Quito Maggi, president of Mainstreet.

Days after Smith and most other Wildrose MLAs crossed the floor to join Prentice’s government, 59 per cent of those polled said they disapprove of the move, which deflated the opposition party and reshaped the province’s political landscape.

Thirty-one per cent said they support the floor-crossing, and the rest indicated they weren’t sure.

The disapproval largely comes from supporters of opposition parties. Seventy per cent of PC backers said they were either strongly or somewhat in favour, while 27 per cent disapproved of the surprise move. Among Albertans who said they’d vote Wildrose, 91 per cent were against the mass defection.

Opposition party supporters are likely worried a stronger PC government will pose an even graver threat to their political foes, Maggi suggested.

“Even if there is backlash against the floor-crossing itself, it’s going to tend to be among the population that are Liberal, NDP, Alberta Party supporters, and the hard, hardcore Wildrose supporters.”

The next provincial election is scheduled to be held in early 2016, though many observers have speculated Prentice may call a spring vote to seek approval for the expanded Tory tent and to get a mandate for dealing with a weakened Alberta economy.