How Manitobans feel about the U.S. presidential election

The U.S. presidential election between Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump is attracting interest north of the border.

A new poll by Leger released Friday examined how Canadians feel about the U.S. presidential election, and asked Canadians who they would vote for.

According to the poll, 70 per cent of people living in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are interested in the election (29 per cent very interested, 41 per cent somewhat interested), which aligns with the rest of Canada.

As for who Canadians would vote for if they could vote in the election, 64 per cent of those surveyed said they would vote for Harris, while 21 per cent of those surveyed would vote for Trump. The poll showed 15 per cent said they didn’t know or preferred not to answer.

The numbers were slightly higher for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with two-thirds of people surveyed (66 per cent) saying they’d vote for Harris, 23 per cent would vote for Trump, and 11 per cent decided not to answer.

Sixty-one per cent of people from Manitoba and Saskatchewan believe a Harris victory would be better for Canada, compared to 19 per cent for Trump. Twenty per cent of those surveyed did not answer.

Canadians were also asked if they were concerned about violence and uncertainty related to the outcome. Across Canada, 65 per cent are worried there will be violence or uncertainty, compared to 28 per cent who aren’t worried. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 61 per cent are worried, while 33 per cent are not.

The possibility of a Trump election is not changing people’s likelihood of visiting the U.S. According to the poll, 44 per cent of people across Canada said it won’t impact their personal travel plans, while 53 per cent of people in Manitoba and Saskatchewan said they would still travel across the border.

Leger conducted the poll online between Oct. 18 and 21, and surveyed 1,562 people across Canada. The margin of error is plus/minus 2.48 per cent, 19 times out of 20.