Author and journalist Peter C. Newman has joined the group of audacious individuals asking mayoral candidates to drop out to stop a Rob Ford victory. Yes, the Toronto Star has some more company.

Newman, who was an early supporter of Rocco Rossi, sent an "urgent appeal" to the candidate, pleading for him to bow out and throw his support behind George Smitherman.

"We feel certain that you must be as appalled as we are at the prospect of Rob Ford becoming mayor and representing this great city to the world," Newman wrote. "He is the first dismal evidence of the Tea Party mentality invading Canada. He must be stopped." There may or may not have been a sketch of Armageddon and pictures of vampires on the page as well.

Rossi responded to the letter in an email to the Star on Sunday. "It is clear there is a campaign underway to scare Torontonians into voting for George Smitherman," he wrote. "I hear people say that they are being told to 'hold your nose and vote for George' in the hopes that a strategic voting tactic will stop the chaos that a Ford administration would surely bring to the city."

"People are smarter than career politicians give them credit for. My campaign is seeing hundreds of voters speaking up and coming to me from the other camps."

Sorry, Newman. I think that's a "no."