BC PULSE – Conservatives open eight-point lead over NDP after election call
BC NDP faces challenge in drawing 2024 voters; 62 per cent will support the party again, others less sure
By ANGUS REID INSTITUTE
September 24, 2026 – Just two days after BC NDP leader David Eby dissolved the British Columbia legislature and called a snap election, party supporters, candidates, volunteers and donors may be questioning the wisdom of his political gamble, as the opposition BC Conservatives jump out to a commanding – but early – eight-point lead in vote intention over the incumbent.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute shows the now-newly re-re-united right-of-centre movement, coalesced once again under the BC Conservatives – this time under their third leader in less than a year – has the support of 43 per cent of B.C. voters, compared to 35 per cent for the New Democrats.
The reversal of fortune for the BC NDP has been swift: as recently as 10 days ago, the governing party had a slim four-point advantage over the BC Conservatives.
Ire over the timing of the early election call may be driving some of the backlash. Fully two-thirds of the province says it’s “too soon” to be going to the polls – including 71 per cent of BC Conservative voters but crucially – half of BC NDP voters (52%), too.
Further, two-thirds (65%) of the province say David Eby is putting his own interests ahead of the province in calling this election.
The New Democrats will also have to work to pull its 2024 voting base back together. Currently, only 65 per cent of those who voted for the party two years ago say they’ll do the same again. This compares to 85 per cent of past BC Conservative voters who are ready to re-commit.
It is early days in the campaign however, as underscored by the one-in-five who say they are undecided about their vote choice, and the fact that only 35 per cent say they are “very certain” about which party they will support.
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