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“Really, the most significant number to me is the approval for Premier Notley having dropped quite a bit,” Maggi said. “But in context of where the approval numbers are for all the other provincial leaders, it’s a very solid, solid number.”

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Maggi cited some of the NDP’s recent moves — raising minimum wage, increasing corporate taxes and announcing a royalty review — as possible reasons for the dip in support.

“There’s lots of uncertainty,” he said. “It’s been either just under or just over a year that we’ve been at $60 a barrel of oil, and Albertans have seen the impact of that on the economy. They’re not sure what the royalty review’s going to mean, they’re not sure about the increases to minimum wage and a number of other measures that have been brought in.”

“Maybe there’s a little bit of that natural buyer’s remorse within a couple of months as things set in,” Maggi added.

Political analyst David Taras said he was surprised by the poll numbers, saying he expected the “euphoria” from the NDP’s victory to last longer.

“I guess this is the result of the first session and I think the notion of the New Democrats is you make the tough decisions and you make them early,” said the Mount Royal professor.

“I thought the honeymoon was going to last for longer,” he added. “When you make decisions, particularly with regard to raising taxes, and raising taxes during difficult economic times, you’re going to lose support.”

Among all voters, the poll shows the Wildrose in the lead with 40 per cent support, ahead of the NDP with 31 per cent, the PC Party with 24 per cent, the Liberals with 3 per cent and the Alberta Party with 2 per cent.