Premier Kathleen Wynne’s honeymoon is ending thanks in part to her controversial predecessor, Dalton McGuinty, a new poll suggests.

Wynne’s Liberals have slipped behind the Progressive Conservatives, led by Tim Hudak.

The Tories are at 35 per cent to the Grits’ 33 per cent, ahead of the New Democrats, led by Andrea Horwath, at 24 per cent, and Mike Schreiner’s Greens at 8 per cent.

Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff said McGuinty’s shadow appears to loom over Wynne.

“I don’t think he’s been helping her, that’s for sure,” Bozinoff said Thursday.

“She can’t shake that baggage,” he said, adding Conservative attack ads tying Wynne to McGuinty are clearly having an impact.

The TV commercials link the two Liberal leaders by highlighting how the governing party spent at least $585 million to scrap gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga to win five local seats in the 2011 election.

“The Liberals have just got to get the gas plants behind them,” said Bozinoff.

Forum used interactive voice response phone calls to poll 1,037 Ontarians on Wednesday. Results are considered accurate to within three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The pollster also asked how McGuinty would be remembered.

About a third — 32 per cent — said it would be as “one of Ontario’s worst premiers.”

Almost a quarter — 23 per cent — said “a poor premier,” while 26 per cent said “an average premier” and 13 per cent said “one of Ontario’s best premiers.” Six per cent didn’t know.

“In time, he’ll look better,” predicted Bozinoff. “I don’t think he did well before the (gas plant) committee this week . . . so this is going to catch him at his worst. Probably over time his numbers will come up.”

Still, McGuinty is proving to be a drag on his successor. Last month’s Forum poll had the Liberals at 38 per cent, the Tories at 34 per cent, the NDP at 21 per cent and the Greens at 6 per cent.

Wynne’s approval rating is also down to 37 per cent from 41 per cent in May. In contrast, Horwath is holding steady again at 43 per cent while Hudak remains mired at 26 per cent.

“There’s just something about the way he presents himself on TV . . . which is people’s only real knowledge to base these things on,” Bozinoff said of Hudak.

“He just doesn’t come across that well,” he said, noting the ads that are having an impact on Wynne’s numbers do not feature the Tory leader.

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In terms of who would make the best premier, all the major party leaders are deadlocked.

Wynne was at 22 per cent while Hudak and Horwath are at 20 per cent. About a quarter of respondents — 24 per cent — said “none of these” and 13 per cent didn’t know.

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