November 8, 2025 — A new Pollara survey shows Heather McPherson is the best known NDP leadership candidate, but far from a household name. One-in-five (20%) Canadians say they know who she is, compared to 16% for Avi Lewis and 14% for Rob Ashton.
In this field of unknowns, the door is open for the candidate who presents best during the race. To this end, we showed voters open to the NDP the first 30 seconds of these three candidates’ launch videos. McPherson’s video excites the most people (14%), followed by Ashton’s (13%), and Lewis’ (8%). There is a notable divide in the type of NDP supporters who are excited by each candidate, with McPherson appealing to white collar workers and the university-educated, while Ashton appeals to blue collar workers and lower income earners.
The survey also asked those open to voting for the NDP about the direction they want to see from the party. There is a perfectly even split between those wanting the NDP to be a movement that pushes for big changes (40%) and those who want the NDP to focus more on winning elections (40%).
See the full details in our report and data tables, as well as additional analysis on the leadership race and the future of the NDP on our substack.
