Caucus is expected to back Bill Shorten for the Labor leadership today, but Anthony Albanese has the popular vote Anthony Albanese is the people's choice, but it appears Bill Shorten will win caucus support for ALP leader. ANTHONY Albanese is the people's choice for new Labor opposition leader, according to recent polling, but it appears Bill Shorten will win caucus support in Canberra today. Rank and file Labor members will cast their ballots by Friday, with the final result to be announced on Sunday. Each process will count for 50 per cent of the total vote. Arriving at Parliament House ahead of the vote, Mr Albanese said the new process of election would be a turning point for the party no matter the result. "Three weeks after a significant election defeat, Labor is stronger, more united, more mobilised than we would have been if we had just gone back to business as usual," he said. This has been a very energetic process for the ALP membership. Mr Albanese said the membership had been elevated to a greater level of importance than in times past. "What I would say to those people who have considered ALP membership before but never got around to it ... it's time to join up and be part of this Labor revival," he said. Mr Shorten said he believed he had strong support among ALP members. "I believe over the next three years, if I'm given the privilege of leading Labor, I can build strong support amongst Australians and a positive vision for the future," he told Sky News. Anthony Albanese is a favourite with the public to lead Labor in opposition. A Reach Tel poll of 1800 people conducted by Fairfax Media shows Mr Albanese leads Mr Shorten as preferred Labor leader, 58 per cent to 42 per cent, in both Victoria and NSW. Mr Albanese, the former deputy prime minister, is also considered a better leader and manager of the economy, even in Mr Shorten's home state of Victoria, while in NSW he has a 61-39 percentage lead, Fairfax reports. Among Labor voters, each candidate received highest support in their respective states, however, in the new caucus, Mr Shorten appears set to win the vote with the backing of the dominant Right faction, which outnumbers the Left 48-38. Some Right faction members say Mr Shorten will win between 50 and 52 votes. The report suggested Left faction members Laurie Ferguson, Warren Snowdon and Maria Vamvakinou will vote with the Right, while sources say former prime minister Kevin Rudd is expected to cross factional lines to vote for his former deputy. Sources also revealed former treasurer Wayne Swan is likely to back Mr Shorten, despite his turnaround from Julia Gillard in June to back Mr Rudd. On the question of who would make the better prime minister, the poll found voters in Victoria would prefer either Mr Albanese or Mr Shorten over Tony Abbott, but voters in NSW prefer Mr Abbott. Bill Shorten appears to have more support in caucus. In a rare shot at Mr Albanese's pugnacity, Mr Shorten said his specialty was not to ``throw haymakers in the parliament," but ``to turn minorities into majorities." I give more than a new-found commitment. "I think people in the Labor Party are sophisticated enough to see through political strategies," he said. The former Australian Workers' Union national secretary admitted some unions had helped pay his campaign costs, while Mr Albanese says he's funded himself outside the budget set by Labor's national office.