And she still won on all the racist dogwhistle questions that were part of the referendum.

People kept making it sound like there was any question whatsoever to the outcome here.

Before question 10 was even added, I received TWO polling calls on rough versions of the questions, including question 10. Polling on Q10 specifically was consistent after it was officially added, and those results were public. Sensationalist media reporting making it sound conceivable as an outcome was completely self serving click bait.

The answer was in plain sight before it was even added.

It was a stunt. She didn't have to wait to see which was the wind was blowing, she knew how it would land before the question was even asked.

She didn't count on the depth of the stupidity of her useful idiots. She stoked a fire she expected them to applaud her for tending, regardless of the result. She's learning the lesson that if you fire up irrationality, they're loyal to the irrationality, not to you.

eventually settling on the winning side

Hardly... but I don't see why picking a side on anything in the referendum mattered. The referendum was to see what Albertans wanted and they told her.