If you are a user of social media, you invariably know about the #100HappyDays challenge.
Essentially the campaign encourages people to be cheerful everyday for 100 days.
For Olivia Chow and her campaign team, that might have been a difficult task — there really hasn’t been a lot to cheer about.
In June, the former NDP MP was the clear front-runner in the Toronto mayoral race.
Since then, Chow has gone from the penthouse to the proverbial outhouse in the opinion polls. Last week’s Nanos Research survey suggested that Chow will finish third — behind Tory and Ford — with only 26 per cent support.
What exactly has happened to Chow’s support is up for debate.
The past 100 days have certainly brought about a heightened scrutiny over Chow’s abilities as a politician. Fairly or not, she’s had to face a barrage of attacks from all quarters.
There are some in the media who openly suggest that her speaking style is weak. Others claim that she lacks substance.
On policy, she’s been criticized for a lackluster transit platform while her opponents on the right have gained traction portraying her as a "tax and spend lefty."
There’s even a new "StopChowNow" sign campaign launched by the Toronto Taxpayers Coalition.
"The campaign takes a look at Olivia Chow’s track record as a City Councillor and as a Member of Parliament, and closely examines her mayoral platform," says the group’s press release.
"The conclusion drawn is that Olivia Chow’s policies would be ruinous for the City and her record backs it up."
[ Related: Toronto mayoral candidates Soknacki, Thomson to assess political landscape after new poll ]
Chow also had to deal with a public dust-up with campaign ‘volunteer’ Warren Kinsella. Last month, she distanced herself from Kinsella — a respected political war room operative — after he described John Tory’s transit plan as “segregationist.”
Kinsella did apologize, but later announced that he was stepping back from the campaign.
Last week, on Sun News, he was asked if he thought Chow had thrown him under the bus.
"I like Olivia Chow. She’s a very nice person. But let’s put it this way. I’ve worked for Dalton McGuinty. I’ve worked for Jean Chretien," Kinsella replied.
"War room people — you’re on the front line and you’re throwing hand grenades and sometimes you’re receiving them. And I’ve had many occasions over the years … when I’ve had limbs blown off.
"You want to be able to — when those things happen — turn around and [say] ‘there’s my candidate,’ and mine wasn’t there, so that kind of stunk.”
[ Related: Rob Ford unveils subway-heavy transit plan ]
The past 100 days also saw two elections in Toronto that could hurt Chow’s chances: In the Ontario provincial election, the Kathleen Wynne Liberals won most of the seats in downtown Toronto, while the federal Grits won a byelection in Chow’s old riding of Trinity-Spadina.
According to political consultant Marcel Wieder, that’s an ominous sign for Team Chow.
"These formerly bedrock NDP seats and a loss in neighbouring riding of Toronto Centre to the Liberals is an indication that the city finds the Liberal brand more attractive," he told Yahoo Canada News.
"With [John] Tory courting Liberals, [that] is a vulnerability for the Chow campaign that once took for granted areas of the city will now be battlegrounds requiring additional resources and manpower, both in short supply."
In Wieder’s opinion, Chow still has opportunity to turn things around “if the conditions are right.”
"She needs Tory to make a major stumble and Ford has to draw enough right wing voters who may have drifted over to the Tory camp," he said.
"In addition, she has to run a near perfect campaign from here on out. A tall, but not impossible order."
As of Sunday, there are 50 days until the October 27th election.
Will it be #50HappyDays for Chow?
(Photo courtesy The Canadian Press)
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