Overheard this week: “Momentum swinging in Mulcair’s favour”

As Tom Mulcair hits the road to share his plan to strengthen the middle class, support for that NDP vision is up across the country. Here’s some of what was overheard this week:

Four years after the Orange Wave in Quebec, NDP support remains strong – with “momentum swinging in Mulcair’s favour”.

“The NDP leader … has certainly experienced a jump in support. When asked who would make the best prime minister, Mulcair topped the list with 31 per cent, a gain of five points since March and his best result, according to CROP, since June 2013. Trudeau, on the other hand, was down to 24 per cent, his worst result since becoming leader in April 2013.” — Eric Grenier (Huffington Post Canada: April 30, 2015)

With an election just days away, Albertans look ready for change – and an Orange Wave of their own.

“It sends a powerful message to voters outside Quebec, in particular, that even Albertans aren’t scared of the NDP running their province, so why would you be scared of Thomas Mulcair? I think that’s a big asset in Ontario and elsewhere for the NDP and a bit of a loss to the Liberal message.” — Chantal Hébert (CBC’s At Issue: April 30, 2015)

One political watcher noted that the NDP is “feeling good about” Mulcair’s “prospects” and “have reason to feel that way.”

“Some have drawn a connection to the opposition leader’s relentlessly sunny disposition in recent appearances. His high-voltage grin blazes out from every campaign image. Others point to his Main-Street-friendly overtures to voters in the Greater Toronto Area, which began in earnest in mid-March … I suspect there’s something deeper at work, which is simply this: Consistency. For more than a year, Mulcair has been consistent in the positions he’s taken, with no equivocation.” — Michael Den Tandt (National Post: April 26, 2015)