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TORONTO — An exit poll of 5,703 Ontario voters suggests Premier Kathleen Wynne’s surprising move to concede the election five days early may have indeed paid off, saving a handful of seats for her party.

The Liberals were still nearly wiped out in Thursday’s election, reduced from 55 seats to just seven. The PCs won a strong majority with 76 seats, while the NDP won 40 and the Green Party picked up one.

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But it could have been even worse for the Liberals, according to data collected by ONE, a Tory-connected firm.

The poll shows that among people who voted Liberal, 46 per cent said they were more likely to vote Liberal because of Wynne’s June 2 announcement, where she conceded the election and urged people to vote for their local candidate to stop a PC or NDP majority. A further 50 per cent said it had no effect on their vote, while just 4 per cent said it made them less likely.

Among those who considered voting Liberal but didn’t, 15 per cent said the concession made them more likely to vote Liberal, 23 per cent said it made them less likely, and 61 per cent said it had no effect.