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Ontarios Progressive Conservatives have pulled even with the governing Liberals, setting up a tight battle for government in an election that could come as soon as June, a new poll suggests.

The New Democrats, meanwhile, sit firmly in third place.

The new numbers from Nanos Research put Premier Kathleen Wynnes party at 36 per cent, unchanged from January. Tim Hudaks PCs are up five points to 33 while Andrea Horwaths NDP are statistically unchanged down two to 25.

The results are certain to cheer Mr. Hudak, who has struggled to put his party over the top, despite a series of Liberal spending scandals in the latter part of former Liberal premier Dalton McGuintys rule.

Recently, the Tory leader has cleared some major problems off his plate. First, controversial Toronto city councillor Doug Ford declared he would not run for the party. Then, Mr. Hudak abandoned so-called right to work policy, a contentious issue that had caused divisions within the party. Both the Liberals and NDP had effectively attacked U.S.-style right to work as Alabama-style labour laws.

The gap is tightening, Nanos Research chairman Nik Nanos said in an interview. The survey was done largely after the adjustment in the policy position of Tim Hudak on the right-to-work issue, so that probably had a positive spillover for him.

The news isnt all bad for Ms. Wynne, however. The poll found her party has a clear lead in vote consideration, with 55 per cent of respondents saying they would consider voting for the Grits. Mr. Hudak and Ms. Horwath are effectively tied, at 47 and 46 per cent respectively.

This means the Liberals have the most room to grow with an effective campaign.

The key takeaway is that there is fluidity in the electorate, Mr. Nanos said. The race is tightening up, but the Liberals have the greatest upside at this particular point in time.

If an election were held today, he said, it would likely yield a similar result to the current hung legislature, in which the Liberals rule with a minority.

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Tight race looms between Ontario Liberals and PCs, poll suggests