Most polls now closed in GTA with election results coming soon

It’s likely the winner of tonight’s mayoral race will be Olivia Chow or Brad Bradford. 

The two have consistently topped the polls. And while Chow started the race with a significant lead, the race has tightened. 

If you’re not familiar with the candidates, Chow has been mayor since 2023. She won a byelection that year, beating a record number of 102 other candidates after former mayor John Tory resigned. That victory made her the first racialized person to serve as mayor in the city’s history, and the third woman.

Chow’s been a long-standing progressive figure in Toronto politics. She was first elected as a school board trustee in 1985 and served on city council for 12 years before representing Trinity-Spadina as an NDP MP.  She ran for mayor in 2014 and came in third.

Bradford, a former city planner, was first elected as councillor in 2018 and became a key ally to Tory. Under the former mayor, he served as vice chair of the city’s budget committee and as chair of the planning and housing committee. He remained on the housing committee when Chow was elected, but was removed as chair. 

Bradford ran for mayor in the 2023 byelection and finished eighth, with 9,254 votes. 

Check out CBC Toronto’s platform tracker to see where Chow and Bradford stand on major issues.

There’s also 50 other people running for mayor; the full list can be found on the city’s website.