That's exactly it. The Liberals' entire platform, at the provincial and federal level, is "we're not the Cons". Federally that worked because Carney is a less distasteful ghoul than Poillevre, but in Ontario it pitted Crombie and the Liberals and their recent history against Ford -- who has shown to be basically competent in a crisis and not constantly cartoonishly evil. It's sad that "not a scooby-doo villain" is the bar, but that's the reality.