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The Ontario Progressive Conservatives can take solace in the latest polling results, which show that their 40 per cent support level has remained consistent over the past few weeks.

If the election were held today, the PCs would likely cruise to a majority government victory.

But the election won’t be held today and there’s an interesting twist to the polling numbers that could come into play.

Pollsters tell us that the Conservative support is solid, but there is little chance for any growth.

On the other hand, the remaining 60 per cent or so of the voters are split between the Liberals and NDP, but we’re told that much of that is what is called “soft support,” meaning they could change their vote to whichever party they think might defeat Doug Ford and the PCs.

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We saw this happen in the last couple of provincial elections, where there was a late surge toward Kathleen Wynn‘s Liberals, which carried them to victory in both cases.

Since there are so many similarities between the Liberal and NDP platforms, voters may gravitate to whichever party they think could defeat the PCs and provide the social services they want like pharma care, dental plans and daycare.

Such a voting shift would be unusual, but, in this election year, the unusual might just be the usual.

Bill Kelly is the host of Bill Kelly Show on AM 900 CHML and a commentator for Global News