Next year’s Mississauga mayoral race could provide one of the most intriguing match-ups in the Toronto area, with incumbent Carolyn Parrish set to run again and former mayor and Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie not ruling out a bid to return.
New polling from Liaison Strategies suggests that if the two were to face off against each other now, Crombie would pull 38 per cent of the popular vote and Parrish would net 33 per cent.
Crombie was Mississauga’s mayor for a decade beginning in 2014, and Parrish succeeded her when she left the role to lead the Ontario Liberals. She passed a leadership review in September, but opted to step down when support appeared shaky.
Crombie told Global News she would not rule out running to be mayor again next year in a race Parrish has already said she will contest.
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“All options are on the table as I reflect on my next path and where I can have the most impact,” she said.
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Parrish said she was “absolutely running” and was “looking forward to an interesting challenge.”
The polling from Liaison Strategies put Crombie and Parrish well out in front of other potential rivals, including Coun. Alvin Tedjo (12 per cent) and Coun. Dipika Damerla (seven per cent).
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While Crombie has the potential advantage of wide name recognition from years in the role, the Progressive Conservatives spent months trying to make her name synonymous with tax raises when she served as Liberal leader.
Parrish has been mayor for a shorter period, but is a well-known local politician whom Premier Doug Ford has lavished with praise at events. Liaison’s polling found she had an approval rating of positive five per cent.
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David Valentin, principal at Liasion Strategies, said he thought the Progressive Conservative commercials could have hurt Crombie slightly, with other challengers likely to define who came out on top if both her and Parrish were to run.
“I think she would likely be polling higher if not for the ads. Parrish is polling around what she got in the byelection. In the 2022 provincial election, the Liberals got about 42 per cent in Mississauga — more or less what Crombie is polling at now,” Valentin said.
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“So the question for me is, does Alvin Tedjo run? Does Dipika Damerla? And if not, where do those votes go?”
The Mississauga municipal election will be held in October 2026.
The Liaison Strategies poll was conducted for the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada using interactive voice response technology between Oct. 22 to 23, 2025. It surveyed 800 Mississauga voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.46%, 19 times out of 20o.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
