Chow had dealt with Toronto and its citizens for years and years -- she's been elected over and over again in this town. She has overcome negative bias, be it veiled racism or not, many times. Her low polling numbers in this election are the direct result of her poor campaign. This is the 'anti-Ford' election, and she tried to ignore that factor. The 'anti-Ford' voters decided Tory was their horse, and she's lost that voting bloc.
She could EASILY have been the 'anti-Ford' candidate if she had hit him hard, early on. She missed that opportunity, and it doesn't look like she'll get it back.