Bell: What?! Smith UCP, Nenshi NDP are neck and neck — now it's war

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsNationalPoliticsOpinionColumnists Bell: What?! Smith UCP, Nenshi NDP are neck and neck — now it's war Danielle Smith vs. Naheed Nenshi, the UCP and NDP are tied in support and Alberta politics gets even more interesting Author of the article: By Rick Bell Published Sep 25, 2026 4 minute read Join the conversation Naheed Nenshi vs. Danielle Smith, the UCP and NDP are tied in support and Alberta politics gets even more interesting. Postmedia file photos Article content The numbers jolt you into reality on Friday morning faster and harder than a string of high-octane coffees and a couple of Red Bulls. Article content What also slaps you in the face is the fact the nose count is done by Janet Brown, who has a very good reputation as a pollster. This is not some fly-by-night number crunching. Article content Article content Far from it. Article content As with polls in the past, CBC shares what they find. Article content Advertisement 1 STORY CONTINUES BELOW This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Bam! In Alberta, the NDP under Naheed Nenshi is up 5 points. The UCP under Premier Danielle Smith is down 8 points. Article content Noon News Roundup Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content The two parties are deadlocked at 41 percentage points. Other parties are far behind. Article content In battleground Calgary, right after a byelection vote where the UCP couldn’t hold a seat they held in the conservative south of the city, more bad news shouts the numbers going into the weekend. Article content In Calgary, the NDP are up eight points on the UCP, 46 percent to 38 per cent. Article content Since the last poll, the NDP is up 9 points and the UCP is down by 10 points. Article content Smith’s UCP are not breaking through in the NDP fortress of Edmonton and are losing ground by 14 points outside the two big cities. Article content Still, the UCP has so much support outside Calgary and Edmonton, they are still well ahead of Nenshi and his crew. Article content Alberta separatists seem to be spinning their wheels, if the latest poll is any indication. Postmedia…