At the time, public opinion polls in Montreal showed Duchesneau leading incumbent mayor Pierre Bourque and all other potential candidates for the position.
[3] Sitting city councillors Jack Chadirdjian, Germain Prégent, Marie Lebeau, Pierre Gagnier, Louise Roy, and Robert Laramée joined Nouveau Montréal soon after its founding, giving the party representation from both the centre-right and centre-left.
[7] Duchesneau focused Nouveau Montréal's campaign on tax reform, decentralized government services, and urban renewal to prevent a flight to the suburbs.
[10] Duchesneau promoted socially liberal views, and his party's candidates included anti-poverty activists and representatives of the city's LGBT community.
At this meeting, Duchesneau promised to focus on cleaning up the city's abandoned lots, create "district mayors" with responsibility for services like snow removal, and seek a new financial deal with the provincial government.
[15] Shortly before election day, rival candidate Jean Doré openly speculated that he might withdraw from the contest and either give his support to Duchesneau or form an alliance between the two campaigns.