No first-ballot winner in race to replace Ralph (Jason Fekete, Calgary Herald)
The question is what now?While results were still rolling in at press time, it appeared three hopefuls remain in the hunt for Premier Ralph Klein’s throne after no majority winner was likely in Saturday’s Tory leadership vote.
Jim Dinning, Ted Morton and Ed Stelmach were each headed for strong showings that would propel them to a second ballot in one week.
With 73 of 83 ridings reporting, Dinning had captured 24,688 votes (28 per cent) versus Morton’s 22,796 (26 per cent) and 13,948 (16 per cent) for Stelmach.
A total of 86,295 ballots had been reported from the 73 ridings by press time, a vote total that already doubled those cast in the first ballot in the 1992 PC leadership race.
Will Stelmach supporters accept that they must vote for Morton in order to beat Dinning? Will Hancock and Oberg supporters follow their man's recommendation? What will the Edmonton Norris community do?
Over the next week I hope to address some of these questions. For now, Morton is firmly on the 2nd ballot, so the first mission is accomplished.
2 comments:
The race for the leadership of the Alberta PCs is now just that, a sprint to the finish. And after Saturday's vote, the choices have solidified somewhat.
We can either choose the candidate of the status quo, the candidate who surrounded himself with the usual well-heeled, backroom and corporate insiders who will stay the current course.
Or we can opt for the candidate of the past we never had, the candidate who curries favour only with those who thinks as he does that we should become narrow-minded, inward and isolated from the any influences he deems are dangerous or troublesome.
But there is clearly now a third option.
Ed Stelmach represents all that is good about all of Alberta and all Albertans -- rural and urban; newcomers to Wild Rose Country and those descendants of our proud pioneer heritage; those enjoying the benefits of the Alberta Advantage and those still struggling to take their place.
Ed has taken the time to look at all the issues -- economic, social and political. He knows Alberta's future promise rides not on defining winners and losers, insiders and outsiders, who's for us or against us, but rather on what unites us all in a diverse, modern province and what makes us stronger.
Ed Stelmach, as I have discussed before, is a wimp. He wouldn't even confront crooked EPS officers. How do you think he'd fare against a hostile Prime Minister or a group of adversaries at First Ministers conferences.
Sorry Ed, if you want to be Premier, you'll have to grow a backbone first.
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