The 2026 Quebec general election campaign in Richmond opened on August 27 with the writ drop, creating an open-seat contest after longtime CAQ incumbent André Bachand stepped aside. Strong candidates across parties—Guillaume Rousseau for the CAQ, Hugo Fontaine for the Liberals, Bernard Sévigny for the PQ, David Poulin-Latulippe for Québec solidaire, and Dominic Bouffard for the Conservatives—have kept the race competitive in a riding that blends rural Estrie areas with parts of Sherbrooke. Recent polling aggregates from 338Canada and Qc125 show fragmented support, with the CAQ, Liberals, and PQ clustered in the low-to-mid 20s to low 30s in projected vote share and no party exceeding roughly 50 percent implied win probability. Local factors such as housing affordability, youth engagement, and the riding’s mixed demographic profile limit any single party’s edge, while broader provincial volatility among the major parties sustains uncertainty. Developments capable of separating contenders include early campaign polling shifts, leader visits emphasizing regional priorities, or turnout differentials among francophone and Sherbrooke voters ahead of the October 5 vote.