Rocco Rossi’s advisers eagerly await the next opinion poll, with some saying he should withdraw from the mayoral race if he doesn’t get a bump from Sarah Thomson’s departure.

The Star spoke Wednesday with more than a half-dozen of the advisers, including several campaign co-chairs, many of whom have taken part in campaign conference calls since Sunday.

“The question is can Rocco be a factor in this race with enough support to be a ‘1, 2, 3 player’, or will he stay in the single digits and be a Ralph Nader to Rob Ford,” said one senior adviser, speaking on background and referring to perceptions that Nader’s candidacy in 2000 siphoned votes from Al Gore and handed George W. Bush the U.S. presidency.

Low-polling Thomson dropped out of the race Tuesday, asking her supporters to vote for George Smitherman, saying the former Ontario deputy premier is best positioned to stop the front-runner Ford, who is promising to cut city spending by billions of dollars.

In the three most recent polls, Rossi, a former executive and federal Liberal fundraiser, received support from between 7 per cent and 9.7 per cent of decided respondents — figures his furious campaigning have not budged.

Two participants in Wednesday morning’s campaign call said it ended with Rossi saying something like: “For now, we’re seeing where things fall, if the Sarah vote is coming to me.”

Another insider said the campaign is looking for an exit strategy so Rossi can bow out gracefully. “The writing is on the wall, but (Rossi) wants to see how this Sarah Thomson thing plays out,” the insider said.

“Nothing has been decided yet and so far the campaign continues, but we have to be realistic with three weeks to go.”

The advisers who would go on the record said Rossi, who has run a right-leaning campaign, has a real shot at winning.

“Rocco has every intention of continuing — he’s in this race until the end, for the city of Toronto,” said John Capobianco, one of Rossi’s co-chairs and a campaign spokesman.

Warren Kinsella, an adviser and well-known political strategist, said: “A month is effectively (the length of) a federal election campaign. There’s lots of time for dramatic movement and anybody suggesting any candidates need to pull the plug is acting precipitously.”

Rossi himself told the Star on Wednesday that no adviser has told him to quit.

“After Sarah quit, the question was asked, ‘Rocco, are you in this to the end?’ It’s a natural question from people busting their tails day in and day out, but I assured them I am in this until the end,” he said, adding internal research suggests some Thomson voters are swinging his way.

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He denied there is a schism in his inner circle, dismissing talk that some advisers think he should quit as “not credible.”

“There’s no chain on the door — if they feel that way, what’s stopping them from leaving?”