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To call the United Conservative Party the “heavy” favourite heading into the upcoming provincial election is something of an understatement.

The party has such an overwhelming lead in the polls that it is probably more accurate to characterize the UCP as the Stantec Tower favourite. Or the Milan Lucic favourite.

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Or pick a mountain in the Rockies and use that as a metaphor.

You can get some idea of what I’m talking about by looking at the latest numbers, released earlier this week by Mainstreet Research. The polling company found the UCP is currently enjoying the support of 52.3 per cent of respondents who are decided or leaning, well ahead of the NDP’s 27.8 per cent.

That’s the kind of rarefied air that would give UCP a staggering majority government with anywhere from 65 to 80 of the province’s 87 seats.

At those sorts of numbers, you’d assume UCP Leader Jason Kenney would also be feeling the love from Albertans, or at least from conservatives.