Olivia Chow elected as Toronto mayor for second term in victory for progressives

Tightly fought election saw record turnout as incumbent mayor ran against her rival Brad Bradford

The mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow, promised more rental housing, free school lunches and reduce fares for frequent transit riders after she was elected to a decisive second term as mayor in a wave of support for progressive councillors.

The tightly fought election saw record turnout but Chow ultimately turned in a dominant 13-percentage-point win over her rival, Brad Bradford, receiving 54% of the vote compared with his 41%. Many had been expecting a far closer race, given weeks of polling that suggested a dead heat between the pair who presented differing visions for Canada’s largest city.

Chow bet that voters would accept her policies to confront a mounting affordability crisis that has engulfed major cities around the world. On Monday night, she thanked her supporters and Bradford.

“I know we share a love for Toronto and a belief in its future,” she told a jubilant crowd. “We can disagree on how we get there, or what it looks like, but I do not doubt we both want what is best for our city.”

Chow, 69, has long been a fixture of the city’s politics. She previously served as a school board trustee, city councillor and federal member of parliament. Her total of more than 532,000 votes nearly doubles what she received in 2023.

Bradford, a former city councillor and urban planner, spent much of the campaign focusing on what he said was Chow’s failure to stem the rising cost of living and to address crime. He told residents crime was so bad in Toronto that he slept with a baseball bat next to his bed.