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Is Stephen Harper more popular than Pierre Trudeau?

Stephen Harper rejoice. You're more popular than Pierre Trudeau was at the height of his prime ministerial fame.

Some may be surprised to learn Harper is actually more 'revered' than Trudeau or Jean Chretien were, at least in nine provinces and according to data collected by a researcher and columnist.

Pat Murphy recently penned a column for Troy Media where he compared Harper's popular vote in 2011 with Trudeau's at the height of 'Trudeaumania' in 1968. The data excluded Quebec.

He discovered Harper, with a national vote of 47.65 per cent, beat Trudeau, who collected 42.35 per cent of the popular vote.

"Trudeau was a charismatic, flamboyant, sexy figure in an era that put a particular premium on novelty," wrote Murphy.

"The contrast with Harper - the very essence of non-charisma - could hardly be more pronounced. But charisma, and the emotion it evokes, can be a double-edged sword."

Murphy agrees excluding Quebec from his comparison makes his analysis somewhat 'artificial'.

But he argues Quebec is inherently "different" in terms of language and culture and so it's worthwhile to see what's happening in the "rest of the country."

And outside of Quebec, Harper's popularity is trending up, Murphy wrote.

"Over the four elections for which Stephen Harper has led the Conservatives, their share of the (rest of Canada) vote has risen steadily, a gain totalling 11 percentage points over seven years.

"Jean Chrétien never managed a similar feat for the Liberals. Neither did Pierre Trudeau," he wrote.

Could this be the beginning of Harpermania?

Murphy adds to the thought of screaming girls running after the somewhat portly prime minister: "Indeed, the mere thought of it is ridiculous."

(CP Photo)