Today, it looks like an NDP landslide victory in the B.C. election on May 14.

The party has nominated a long list of first-rate candidates under the disciplined leadership of Adrian Dix.

Meanwhile, mainstream media outlets are giving little coverage to the Conservatives and the Greens, marginalizing them in the eyes of voters.

And the B.C. Liberals' rebranding exercise under Christy Clark appears to have fallen flat, judging by the opinion polls over the last year.

The business community sees the writing on the wall. That's why its members have been showing up in significant numbers at NDP meet-and-greet sessions and fundraising events.

It would be insane to predict anything but an NDP victory.

But here are five unexpected events that could create some surprises along the way to May 14.

1. Christy Clark wallops the others in the televised debate

Clark is quick in her feet, whereas Dix is not nearly as experienced in quick repartee in front of a microphone.

With Dix as the front-runner, you can expect Green Leader Jane Sterk and B.C. Conservative Leader John Cummins to target him as well in the only televised debate on April 29.

If Clark clearly triumphs over Dix, it will breathe life into the B.C. Liberal campaign, attract donations, and put the NDP on the defensive.

Keep in mind that when Barack Obama fumbled his first debate against Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate briefly grabbed a four-point lead in the polls.

2. The Green party starts to surge

A new Ekos poll suggests that 16.2 percent of voters have an intention of voting Green, which is up nearly three percent from last February. (The likely Green voter support was pegged at 11.1 percent.)

If B.C. Liberal voters decide en masse that the party can't keep the NDP out of power, there will be no risk if many of them decide to transfer their votes to the Greens.

And if many progressives look at the numbers and figure there's no need to vote NDP to stop the B.C. Liberals, they too might shift to the Greens.

This type of scenario played out in 1991 when the B.C. Liberals under Gordon Wilson catapulted to 17 seats.

Don't forget that the Greens performed exceptionally well in the recent Victoria federal by-election.

3. The B.C. Conservatives catch on in the Interior and the North

This is quite plausible, given the federal Conservative strength across much of the province.

If the B.C. Liberals are seen as utterly useless in holding back the NDP, voters in the Okanagan, Prince George, and Peace River areas could easily end up backing John Cummins's B.C. Conservative candidates.

Conservative voters tend to be older. And older voters tend to turn out on election day.

Keep in mind that during the Reform Party sweep of B.C. in the 1993 federal election, a significant chunk of its support came from people who previously voted NDP. Besides, many rural voters don't like the carbon tax—and Cummins is the only leader promising to scrap it.

4. Stock market crash

The bombings in Boston have gotten people on edge.

If there are more disturbing events like this, it could send the markets plunging. And that could cause some voters to reconsider voting out the B.C. Liberals, who are making a big deal out of their so-called balanced budget.

Incumbent provincial governments were re-elected last year against the odds in Alberta, Ontario, and Manitoba. The governing Quebec Liberals barely lost, even though they were mired in a massive corruption scandal.

With a lot more economic uncertainty, it's not out of the question that the B.C. Liberals could shock people next month by winning a squeeker. After all, the NDP's Glen Clark managed a slim victory in 1996 even though his party was way back in the polls before the campaign began.

5. Federal meddling

Prime Minister Stephen Harper does not want an NDP government in B.C. That's because a Dix-led regime would make things more difficult for him as he prepares for what could be a tough campaign in 2015.

Harper could pull all sorts of stunts: restore the Kitsilano Coast Guard base, announce a major transit-infrastructure expenditure, or sick his attack dogs in the advertising industry on the federal NDP, hoping there's blowback on the provincial New Democrats' campaign.

None of these would be a game changer, but they might make things look closer than they are now.