Alex Kohut
LightNews LightNews
banner
alexjkohut.bsky.social
Alex Kohut
@alexjkohut.bsky.social
230 followers 560 following 160 posts
Founder, North Poll Strategies. Formerly Senior Manager of Research & Advertising for the PM of Canada
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
alexjkohut.bsky.social
Alex Kohut @alexjkohut.bsky.social · Mar 14
Big professional news: I'm launching my own polling firm called North Poll Strategies!

Excited about this next step that will allow me to continue polling Canadians for my newsletter, while delivering custom research solutions for clients!

More information: northpoll.substack.com/p/introducin...
Introducing North Poll Strategies!
I'm launching my own polling firm, and celebrating with a discount on paid subscriptions to my re-branded Substack
northpoll.substack.com
alexjkohut.bsky.social
New polling on the state of the NDP leadership race!

I explored what party supporters think of the leadership contenders, purity tests, Zohran Mamdani, Palestine and more: northpoll.substack.com/publish/post...

#cdnpoli
Polling the NDP Leadership Race: Vote Choice, Purity Tests, Palestine and More
The leading candidates all have work to do as the first debate approaches in a leadership contest that reflects a divided NDP base.
northpoll.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:47 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
There’s been a lot of chatter about Pierre Poilievre’s leadership recently so I surveyed Canadians to explore his growing brand challenges and ask Conservative supporters who have soured on him why they are having second thoughts about the CPC leader:

#cdnpoli

open.substack.com/pub/northpol...
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Pierre?
An election has been averted, but will Pierre Poilievre be able to reverse his negative momentum? I talked to past CPC voters who have soured on Poilievre to find out why.
open.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:57 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
An update on how Canadians evaluate the Carney and Ford reactions to Donald Trump, including concrete data on how standing up to Trump is the key vote driver for Carney-Ford crossover voters in Ontario.

open.substack.com/pub/northpol...
For Both Carney and Ford, The Path to Winning Swing Voters in Ontario Goes Through Donald Trump
Carney-Ford crossover voters are heavily motivated by the Canada/US conflict, and polling for both leaders is dependent on how strong their response is to Trump.
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:22 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
New #onpoli polling on vote intention in Ontario.

The Doug Ford PCs hold on to a comfortable lead, but there are indicators the Ontario Liberals have the potential to grow their support under a new leader.

northpoll.substack.com/p/ontario-vo...
Ontario Vote: PCs 46%, Liberals 29%, NDP 17%
Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives continue to hold a comfortable lead over a divided opposition in Ontario, but there may be hope for the Ontario Liberals.
northpoll.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:40 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
Canada will have another federal election if the federal Budget fails to pass the House of Commons. My new polling suggests it would be a tight contest between the Liberals and Conservatives #cdnpoli

northpoll.substack.com/p/federal-vo...
Federal Vote: Liberals 40%, Conservatives 40% as Confidence Vote Approaches
Only 1-in-10 voters say they would change who they voted for in the April election if given the opportunity.
northpoll.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Reposted by Alex Kohut
kickbackcommittee.bsky.social
The CPL Final is in the middle of a snowstorm in Canada, true North American soccer heritage...how could it get any better?

HOW ABOUT A FREAKIN' BICYCLE KICK EQUALIZER!!!
November 9, 2025 at 11:28 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
There's a tough decision upcoming for the NDP when they vote on the federal government budget - my polling shows the NDP supporter base is almost evenly divided between excitement and anger at the prospect of a federal election.

northpoll.substack.com/p/ndp-mps-fa...
NDP MPs face an uncomfortable Budget decision as NDP voters can't agree on whether they should try to force an election
29% of NDP voters want another election, while 26% say they would be angry by that outcome.
northpoll.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:37 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
I happened to be in field with a survey when the Blue Jays suffered one of the most painful World Series losses ever, so I checked in with Canadians across the country to see how they're processing things the day after.

The results reminded me why I'm proud to be Canadian 🧵
November 3, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Reposted by Alex Kohut
jessespector.com
so shohei ohtani will be on a plane to toronto
October 21, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Reposted by Alex Kohut
themanekin.bsky.social
Vlad Guerrero Jr, Hazel Mae, the city of Toronto, and a cameraman create an all-time baseball moment.

#BlueJays #LightsUpLetsGo
October 20, 2025 at 3:07 AM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
What happened last night in Newfoundland? #nlpoli

My full analysis of yet another provincial election showing a growing urban/rural divide in Canada and what it means for the federal parties watching:

open.substack.com/pub/northpol...
Lessons to Learn from the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Election
Tony Wakeham's surprise majority government suggests a growing urban/rural divide in Newfoundland that mirrors federal election results.
open.substack.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:22 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
Working on an analysis of Tony Wakeham's extraordinary PC majority result of the Newfoundland and Labrador election for my newsletter - here's some things that stand out in my first look through the data: 🧵

#nlpoli
October 15, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Reposted by Alex Kohut
chronicleflask.katday.com
Daughter of Robin Williams, Zelda Williams 💔
zeldawilliams 20m From Create Mode •• Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad. Stop believing I wanna see it or that I'll understand, I don't and I won't. If you're just trying to troll me, I've seen way worse, i'll restrict and move on. But please, if you've got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me, to everyone even, full stop. It's dumb, it's a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it's NOT what he'd want. To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to 'this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that's enough, , just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening. You're not making art, you're making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings, out of the history of art and music, and then shoving them down someone else's throat hoping they'll give you a little thumbs up and like it. Gross. And for the love of EVERYTHING, stop calling it 'the future. Al is just badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be reconsumed. You are taking in the Human Centipede of content, and from the very very end of the line, all while the folks at the front laugh and laugh, consume and consume.
October 6, 2025 at 8:45 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
Have you ever had an idea for a better design for political signs?

I'm polling to find out the most effective and persuasive sign designs and crowd-sourcing ideas for what to test:

open.substack.com/pub/northpol...
October 3, 2025 at 3:41 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
In the wake of Bonnie Crombie's resignation, I wrote about why the next Liberal leader will need to embrace a comprehensive party rebuild and show Ontarians the OLP is a changed party before it can sell itself as a party of change.

#onpoli

northpoll.substack.com/p/an-open-le...
An Open Letter to the Next Ontario Liberal Party Leader
The next Liberal leader will have to demonstrate that the Ontario Liberals are a changed party before it can position itself as the party of change.
northpoll.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by Alex Kohut
coreyhogan.ca
This week, Parliament is back from summer recess. But what does an MP do all summer?
September 16, 2025 at 3:30 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
Why don't more people run for office and how can we change the political environment to encourage the best and brightest in Canada to pursue public service?

I talked to @angeliawagner.bsky.social about her book, "The Candidacy Calculation" for my newsletter:

northpoll.substack.com/p/why-qualif...
Why Qualified People are Declining to Run for Office and How We Can Change That (with Angelia Wagner)
Angelia Wagner's new book, "The Candidacy Calculation" provides a crucial look into the barriers preventing people from running for office and the solutions political parties could pursue.
northpoll.substack.com
September 5, 2025 at 5:07 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
The big dichotomy in American politics right now is that Republicans are saying what they believe without regard for consequences while Democrats are trying not to talk about the things they believe in and subsequently losing elections for being perceived as inauthentic and unprincipled.
perrybaconjr.bsky.social Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · Aug 25
This memo is being sent to Democratic leaders/elites,
arguing that directly attacking Trump's deployment of the National Guard in DC is politically unwise. It encourages the use of terms like distraction and stunt. (I am not endorsing this kind of thinking at all. ) www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bz9d8...
www.dropbox.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Alex Kohut
dcinbox.bsky.social
Privilege - used way more by Republicans
August 22, 2025 at 6:13 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
Would love to know why the NYT reporters didn't think it was newsworthy the first three times they saw the Adams campaign giving cash to reporters at events.

You would think that a serious news organization would want to investigate that
August 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Reposted by Alex Kohut
spavel.bsky.social
We are on the cusp of AGI, definitely for real
Google search for "all you can eat buffet near me" with an "ai overview" of the results saying that you can use Google to search "all you can eat buffet near me" to find a buffet.
August 17, 2025 at 8:56 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
This is my favourite post I’ve written on Substack so far!

It answers many questions including:
- Does it matter if a candidate is listed first on the ballot ?
- Do candidates with longer names win more votes?
- Is the Ford name cursed in federal politics?

northpoll.substack.com/p/alphabetic...
Alphabetical Order Doesn't Matter on a Ballot, But Name Length Might
Measuring the successes and failures of candidate names in federal elections from Aalborg, Anders to Zznoneoff, Thea Bove
northpoll.substack.com
August 14, 2025 at 8:14 PM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
Tells you a lot about the current state of the online crypto community that this group thinks throwing sex toys at female athletes will make their community *less toxic*
itsmeghanlhall.bsky.social Meghan L. Hall @itsmeghanlhall.bsky.social · Aug 7
The people behind the sex toys at WNBA games is an unlikely source: crypto traders.

USA TODAY tracked down the group and started with several questions, but perhaps most important:

WHY?
Crypto group claims responsibility for hurling sex toys at WNBA games
A spokesman for the cryptocurrency meme coin creators told USA TODAY Sports they launched sex toys as a lighthearted joke.
www.usatoday.com
August 7, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Reposted by Alex Kohut
aaronwherry.bsky.social
My takeaway here is that parties should be recruiting more lumber merchants.

substack.com/home/post/p-...
Does the Profession of a Political Candidate Matter at the Ballot Box?
An exploration into the political success of candidates from all professional backgrounds, from lawyers and economists to truck drivers and professional wrestlers.
substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 2:40 AM
alexjkohut.bsky.social
What kind of professional background makes for the best political candidate?

I've gone through the history of federal candidates in Canada and found the most common professions, the professions that win most frequently and the ones have always lost (so far).

northpoll.substack.com/publish/post...
Does the Profession of a Political Candidate Matter at the Ballot Box?
An exploration into the political success of candidates from all professional backgrounds, from lawyers and economists to truck drivers and professional wrestlers.
northpoll.substack.com
August 6, 2025 at 4:11 PM