Ottawa

NDP: High hopes

NDPers are hoping for big things tonight. “Our hopes know no bounds,” says party spokesman Brad Lavigne, milling around the press room at NDP HQ. The party has reason to feel good. Here are the numbers the NDP was polling at the beginning of the campaign compared to last weekend:

Nanos
Sept 11 – 13%
Oct 13 – 21.4%

Harris Decima
Sept 12 – 14%
Oct 13 – 19%

Those are some healthy gains. But what will it mean in terms of seats? The party had 30 when the campaign started. It would like to best Ed Broadbent’s record of 43 seats in 1988. Broadbent himself has said he thinks this will happen. That seems optimisitic. Then again, the NDP is an optimistic bunch.

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