Olivia Chow led the field of mayoral candidates in a poll conducted the day of her official campaign launch event.

Chow had the support of 36 per cent of respondents, incumbent Rob Ford 28 per cent, John Tory 22 per cent. They all held wide leads over Karen Stintz at 5 per cent and David Soknacki at 2 per cent. Seven per cent were undecided.

The Thursday poll may have captured public opinion at an especially favourable time for Chow. It followed two full days of heavy media coverage, and it was conducted less than 12 hours after the former NDP MP made her inaugural speech to an enthusiastic crowd.

Tory, the former Progressive Conservative and CivicAction leader, appeared to receive a similar bump in a poll conducted the day of his own entry in late February. In that poll, Chow and Ford tied at 31 per cent each. Tory had 27 per cent, Councillor Stintz 6 per cent, former councillor Soknacki 2 per cent.

Chow, however, has come first in most polls over the past five months, regularly hovering around the mid-30s.

Both of the most recent polls were interactive voice response automated telephone polls conducted by Forum Research. The latest sampled 1,271 residents. It is considered accurate within 3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Ford has exceeded 31 per cent only once since he admitted in early November to having smoked crack cocaine. The new poll, like previous polls, confirms his vulnerability.

His approval rating, at 42 per cent, trailed those of Chow and Tory (57 per cent each), and it was only slightly better than the ratings for presently uncompetitive Soknacki (38 per cent) and Stintz (37 per cent). The approve-or-disapprove question was asked of people who said they had heard of the candidate; a relatively low 77 per cent said they had heard of Stintz, and only 56 per cent had heard of Soknacki.

Forum also tested a hypothetical three-candidate race without Stintz and Soknacki. Chow had 38 per cent, Ford 28 per cent, Tory 25 per cent. Eight per cent were undecided.

In the current five-candidate race, Chow, who is most popular downtown, held a big lead in Toronto and East York, with 48 per cent to Ford’s 18 per cent. She also led all candidates in North York, with 37 per cent. She was competitive even in Scarborough, her weakest area, where she had 27 per cent to Ford’s 34 per cent.

Chow was the top choice of residents aged 18 to 34; Tory of residents 65 and older.

Election Day is Oct. 27, more than seven months away. Ford did not even enter the 2010 race until the end of March.

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