Three Vancouver Mayoral Candidates Push Back on Spoiler Label, Two Days Before the Vote
Kareem Allam, Rebecca Bligh, and Colleen Hardwick each said they are not splitting any vote as the Vancouver municipal election closes in on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on medicinehatnews.com.
With two days left before election day, three of the five major candidates for Vancouver mayor each said they are not a spoiler in the race. The claim came from The Canadian Press on Thursday, Oct. 15, drawing on separate interviews with the candidates.
Recent polls have shown incumbent Ken Sim and two-term Green councillor Pete Fry as the two candidates leading the race. Some observers said the remaining three candidacies could split votes. Kareem Allam, Rebecca Bligh, and Colleen Hardwick each rejected that framing.
Allam, running with the Vancouver Liberals (the party is not connected to the federal Liberal Party), said in a Tuesday interview that polls are an unreliable guide at the municipal level. "The pollsters don't always get it right. Municipal government is also the hardest level to poll. It's got its tricks and nuances, especially in an at-large system," he told The Canadian Press. He said he believed his campaign was drawing support from both Sim and Fry voters.
Bligh, the Vote Vancouver candidate and a two-term former City Councillor, said polling did not change how she ran her campaign. She described herself to The Canadian Press as a candidate running to govern for what she called Vancouver's ignored middle class. "It's anyone's race," she said in a Wednesday interview.
Hardwick, running with TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, framed her candidacy as something separate from the left-right question the polls raise. "The question is not left or right. The question is about who we are serving at city hall," she told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. She called the public safety plebiscite on the ballot a populist election tactic.
Fry, the Green Party of Vancouver candidate, told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that he has benefited from the progressive field getting smaller. OneCity Vancouver's William Azaroff and COPE Vancouver's Stephanie Allen each withdrew their mayoral candidacies during the campaign. Fry said Azaroff's withdrawal was "recognition that he was the person best suited to defeat Sim."
Sim, the incumbent seeking a second term with ABC Vancouver, told The Canadian Press on Wednesday: "We've gotten some pretty significant things done, but there's way more work to do."
The City of Vancouver told The Canadian Press that more than 103,000 people cast advance ballots, up 60 per cent from 65,000 advance voters over five days in the 2022 election.
When voters fill out their ballot on Oct. 17, they will also see two non-binding plebiscite questions. The first asks whether they support the City strengthening its laws to forbid open-air hard drug use in public spaces. The second asks whether the City should ask the province to convert portions of the old St. Paul's Hospital into a secure medical facility with more than 100 involuntary care beds.
You can read each major mayoral candidate's full profile: Ken Sim, Pete Fry, Kareem Allam, Rebecca Bligh, and Colleen Hardwick. Voting day is Saturday, Oct. 17. For voting place locations, visit /where-to-vote.
Questions this story answers
Who are the five major candidates for Vancouver mayor in 2026?
The five major candidates are Ken Sim (ABC Vancouver, incumbent), Pete Fry (Green Party of Vancouver), Rebecca Bligh (Vote Vancouver), Kareem Allam (Vancouver Liberals), and Colleen Hardwick (TEAM for a Livable Vancouver). All five are running for the Oct. 17 election.
What does 'spoiler' mean in this election context?
Recent polls show Sim and Fry as the two candidates most likely to win. Some observers suggested that Allam, Bligh, and Hardwick could split votes that might otherwise go to one of those two. All three rejected that idea in interviews with The Canadian Press, each saying they are running a real campaign, not a side one.
What did Kareem Allam say about the polls?
Allam, running with the Vancouver Liberals (not connected to the federal party), told The Canadian Press on Tuesday: 'The pollsters don't always get it right. Municipal government is also the hardest level to poll. It's got its tricks and nuances, especially in an at-large system.' He said he believed he was drawing votes from both Sim and Fry equally.
What did Rebecca Bligh say about her chances?
Bligh, running with Vote Vancouver, told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that she was running to govern for what she called Vancouver's ignored middle class. When asked about polling, she said it did not change how she campaigned and added: 'It's anyone's race.' Bligh served two terms as a City Councillor before this mayoral run.
What did Colleen Hardwick say about the race?
Hardwick, running with TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, told The Canadian Press on Tuesday: 'The question is not left or right. The question is about who we are serving at city hall.' She called the public safety plebiscite a populist election tactic.
What did Pete Fry say about the OneCity and COPE withdrawals?
Fry acknowledged to The Canadian Press that he benefited from the progressive field getting smaller, after William Azaroff withdrew from OneCity Vancouver and Stephanie Allen withdrew as the COPE Vancouver mayoral candidate. Fry said Azaroff's withdrawal was 'recognition that he was the person best suited to defeat Sim.' After dropping out, Azaroff appeared at City Hall with Fry.
What is the public safety plebiscite on the Vancouver ballot?
When Vancouver voters cast their ballot on Oct. 17, they will also see two non-binding plebiscite questions. The first asks whether they support the City strengthening its laws to forbid open-air hard drug use in public spaces. The second asks whether the City should ask the province to convert portions of the old St. Paul's Hospital into a secure medical facility with more than 100 involuntary care beds. All plebiscite results are advisory only.
When and where can I vote in the Vancouver municipal election?
Voting day is Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. Voting places across Vancouver are open that day. If you already have a mail-in ballot, return it to a drop box at City Hall or at a community centre rather than mailing it, as time is short. Full voting place information is at /where-to-vote.
How many people voted early in the 2026 Vancouver election?
The City of Vancouver told The Canadian Press that more than 103,000 people cast advance ballots, up 60 per cent from the 64,963 advance voters counted across five days in the 2022 election. The advance period ended before Oct. 15.
What is Ken Sim's position on his first term?
In an interview with The Canadian Press on Wednesday, Sim said: 'We've gotten some pretty significant things done, but there's way more work to do.' He is seeking a second term as mayor with ABC Vancouver.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- The Canadian Press via Medicine Hat News, Oct. 15, 2026medicinehatnews.com
- The Canadian Press via NanaimoNewsNOW, Oct. 15, 2026nanaimonewsnow.com
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