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Incumbent Toronto mayor Mel Lastman chose not to run in this election. A large number of candidates ran for the position of mayor, but four main candidates emerged.
The campaign began with Barbara Hall far in the lead. She had wide name recognition and attracted moderate support from across Toronto. She also had close links with the newly elected LiberalThe Ontario Liberal Party is a centrist provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the Ontario general election, 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada. government of Dalton McGuintyDalton McGuinty Rank 24th Term of Office October 23, 2003 present Predecessor Ernie Eves Date of Birth July 19, 1955 Place of Birth Ottawa, Ontario Spouse Terri McGuinty Profession Lawyer Political Party Liberal Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. Canadian. John Tory and David Miller were closely tied for a distant second, while John Nunziata was in last place, among the major candidates.
Hall quickly began to hemorrhage support, however. Miller's message about the island airport resonated with many voters and he vaulted into first place, to the surprise of many. Tory's support also began to grow steadily as Hall's eroded. The race had become essentially two way contest between Tory and Miller. Miller was attacked by all candidates for musing about tolls on roads leading into Toronto, but this did not seem to reduce his support.
John Nunziata, long not considered a plausible contender, dropped a bombshell on the media when it he announced that members of Tory's camp offered him $150,000 and the Deputy Mayor's position if he were to drop out of the race. Nunziata refused to release specifics, however, and a police investigation found no wrongdoing. Tory in fact received a boost in the polls for his promise to drop out of the campaign if any wrong-doing had been discovered.
Tom JakobekTom Jakobek is a former city councillor in Toronto, Ontario. He was first elected to Toronto city council in 1982 after having served as a school trustee. He became city budget chief in 1990, and successfully held that position for the next ten years, des gathered much media attention at the start, and was invited to various debates, but was quickly distanced from the front-runner race when the vote neared. Jakobek's campaign was hampered by his connection to recent municipal mismanagement, and admissions that he had lied about accepting gifts from people pursuing business with the city.