Seven Candidates For The Leadership Of The United Conservative Party Will Face Off In The Debate In Edmonton

That’s the message the United Conservative Party leadership candidates should be taking to party members during tonight’s debate if they were to be strategic, political observers say. Seven candidates will be in Edmonton for the party’s second — and final — official debate before the UCP begins distributing mail-in ballots on Friday. Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, says smart candidates should have back-up support, as it will be difficult to garner more than 50 per cent of the vote on the first ballot. “With so many candidates in the race, with the information we have to back it up, it seems unlikely,” Young said. The party will mail the ballots of its nearly 124,000 members, asking them to rank their choices in order of preference. Voters will write numbers next to the names of Leela Aheer, Brian Jean, Todd Loewen, Rajan Sawhney, Rebecca Schulz, Danielle Smith and Travis Toews. Members can also vote in person at five locations across the province on Oct. 6 — the same day the party will announce leadership results in Calgary. Members do not have to choose a second or third option and so on, but many will. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round, the person with the fewest votes is eliminated from the ballot. That candidate’s votes are then redistributed to those voters’ second choices. The party will repeat the process until a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. Previous polls had shown former Wildrose Party leader and broadcaster Smith as the frontrunner, with former Finance Minister Toews as a second challenger. Young spent her weekend tooling around with spreadsheets and modeling scripts. In a battle between Smith and Toews, victory depends on how well each performs in the first round, which competitors are eliminated first, how many voters ranked all the candidates and a myriad of other factors. It could take up to a fifth or sixth vote to anoint a winner, he found. Young is also watching to see if any candidates abandon the crowded field and publicly support another godly leader.

Smith the target in the first official debate

Political observers say Smith has set the agenda for the contest, almost from the start. Young said Smith heard from a group of people — mostly conservatives — who remain furious with federal government policies they say are designed to hurt Alberta’s economy. Many are angry about public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Six months ago, if someone said ‘Danielle Smith is going to be premier of Alberta,’ they would have said, ‘You’re crazy,’” said Maddy Johnson, senior campaign strategist at Crestview Strategy. Mandi Johnson, senior campaign strategist at Crestview Strategy, has worked for four of the seven UCP leadership candidates. (Submitted by Mandi Johnson) Johnson has also worked for four of the seven leadership candidates. A centerpiece of Smith’s campaign is Alberta’s proposed Sovereignty Act, which she says would give the legislature the power to vote not to enforce federal laws or court decisions it deems to infringe on provincial jurisdiction. “I think the only thing United Conservative voters care about is sovereignty,” Johnson said. “Even candidates who were in some way anti-sovereignty in the beginning have moved into the light of sovereignty.” Young said Smith has been successful in getting people concerned about these issues to buy party memberships to shore up her support. Her momentum, as well as academic criticism that her sovereignty legislation would be unconstitutional, made her a prime target during the party’s first formal debate last month in Medicine Hat. But more than two months into the leadership race, how important is this second debate to influence the vote? Michael Solberg, a partner at New West Public Affairs in Calgary, said many members have likely made up their minds. Candidates need to build their sales pitch to the supporters of their enemies with whom they have the most in common to get those all-important second- and third-place votes of confidence, he said. The candidates spent surprisingly little time defeating Rachel Notley and the NDP in the next provincial election, scheduled for May, Solberg said. They should also target their pitches to the millions of Albertans who are not members of the UCP, he said. “Now is the time to flirt with the hearts and minds of voters with ideas,” Solberg said. “We’ll see what the defining issues are … but I think it has to be about electability. It has to be about inflation. It has to be about the economy.” The debate starts at 6pm and will be streamed live on the party’s website.

title: “Seven Candidates For The Leadership Of The United Conservative Party Will Face Off In The Debate In Edmonton Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-21” author: “Charles Breeden”

That’s the message the United Conservative Party leadership candidates should be taking to party members during tonight’s debate if they were to be strategic, political observers say. Seven candidates will be in Edmonton for the party’s second — and final — official debate before the UCP begins distributing mail-in ballots on Friday. Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, says smart candidates should have back-up support, as it will be difficult to garner more than 50 per cent of the vote on the first ballot. “With so many candidates in the race, with the information we have to back it up, it seems unlikely,” Young said. The party will mail the ballots of its nearly 124,000 members, asking them to rank their choices in order of preference. Voters will write numbers next to the names of Leela Aheer, Brian Jean, Todd Loewen, Rajan Sawhney, Rebecca Schulz, Danielle Smith and Travis Toews. Members can also vote in person at five locations across the province on Oct. 6 — the same day the party will announce leadership results in Calgary. Members do not have to choose a second or third option and so on, but many will. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round, the person with the fewest votes is eliminated from the ballot. That candidate’s votes are then redistributed to those voters’ second choices. The party will repeat the process until a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. Previous polls had shown former Wildrose Party leader and broadcaster Smith as the frontrunner, with former Finance Minister Toews as a second challenger. Young spent her weekend tooling around with spreadsheets and modeling scripts. In a battle between Smith and Toews, victory depends on how well each performs in the first round, which competitors are eliminated first, how many voters ranked all the candidates and a myriad of other factors. It could take up to a fifth or sixth vote to anoint a winner, he found. Young is also watching to see if any candidates abandon the crowded field and publicly support another godly leader.

Smith the target in the first official debate

Political observers say Smith has set the agenda for the contest, almost from the start. Young said Smith heard from a group of people — mostly conservatives — who remain furious with federal government policies they say are designed to hurt Alberta’s economy. Many are angry about public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Six months ago, if someone said ‘Danielle Smith is going to be premier of Alberta,’ they would have said, ‘You’re crazy,’” said Maddy Johnson, senior campaign strategist at Crestview Strategy. Mandi Johnson, senior campaign strategist at Crestview Strategy, has worked for four of the seven UCP leadership candidates. (Submitted by Mandi Johnson) Johnson has also worked for four of the seven leadership candidates. A centerpiece of Smith’s campaign is Alberta’s proposed Sovereignty Act, which she says would give the legislature the power to vote not to enforce federal laws or court decisions it deems to infringe on provincial jurisdiction. “I think the only thing United Conservative voters care about is sovereignty,” Johnson said. “Even candidates who were in some way anti-sovereignty in the beginning have moved into the light of sovereignty.” Young said Smith has been successful in getting people concerned about these issues to buy party memberships to shore up her support. Her momentum, as well as academic criticism that her sovereignty legislation would be unconstitutional, made her a prime target during the party’s first formal debate last month in Medicine Hat. But more than two months into the leadership race, how important is this second debate to influence the vote? Michael Solberg, a partner at New West Public Affairs in Calgary, said many members have likely made up their minds. Candidates need to build their sales pitch to the supporters of their enemies with whom they have the most in common to get those all-important second- and third-place votes of confidence, he said. The candidates spent surprisingly little time defeating Rachel Notley and the NDP in the next provincial election, scheduled for May, Solberg said. They should also target their pitches to the millions of Albertans who are not members of the UCP, he said. “Now is the time to flirt with the hearts and minds of voters with ideas,” Solberg said. “We’ll see what the defining issues are … but I think it has to be about electability. It has to be about inflation. It has to be about the economy.” The debate starts at 6pm and will be streamed live on the party’s website.

title: “Seven Candidates For The Leadership Of The United Conservative Party Will Face Off In The Debate In Edmonton Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Genevieve Walker”

That’s the message the United Conservative Party leadership candidates should be taking to party members during tonight’s debate if they were to be strategic, political observers say. Seven candidates will be in Edmonton for the party’s second — and final — official debate before the UCP begins distributing mail-in ballots on Friday. Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, says smart candidates should have back-up support, as it will be difficult to garner more than 50 per cent of the vote on the first ballot. “With so many candidates in the race, with the information we have to back it up, it seems unlikely,” Young said. The party will mail the ballots of its nearly 124,000 members, asking them to rank their choices in order of preference. Voters will write numbers next to the names of Leela Aheer, Brian Jean, Todd Loewen, Rajan Sawhney, Rebecca Schulz, Danielle Smith and Travis Toews. Members can also vote in person at five locations across the province on Oct. 6 — the same day the party will announce leadership results in Calgary. Members do not have to choose a second or third option and so on, but many will. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round, the person with the fewest votes is eliminated from the ballot. That candidate’s votes are then redistributed to those voters’ second choices. The party will repeat the process until a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. Previous polls had shown former Wildrose Party leader and broadcaster Smith as the frontrunner, with former Finance Minister Toews as a second challenger. Young spent her weekend tooling around with spreadsheets and modeling scripts. In a battle between Smith and Toews, victory depends on how well each performs in the first round, which competitors are eliminated first, how many voters ranked all the candidates and a myriad of other factors. It could take up to a fifth or sixth vote to anoint a winner, he found. Young is also watching to see if any candidates abandon the crowded field and publicly support another godly leader.

Smith the target in the first official debate

Political observers say Smith has set the agenda for the contest, almost from the start. Young said Smith heard from a group of people — mostly conservatives — who remain furious with federal government policies they say are designed to hurt Alberta’s economy. Many are angry about public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Six months ago, if someone said ‘Danielle Smith is going to be premier of Alberta,’ they would have said, ‘You’re crazy,’” said Maddy Johnson, senior campaign strategist at Crestview Strategy. Mandi Johnson, senior campaign strategist at Crestview Strategy, has worked for four of the seven UCP leadership candidates. (Submitted by Mandi Johnson) Johnson has also worked for four of the seven leadership candidates. A centerpiece of Smith’s campaign is Alberta’s proposed Sovereignty Act, which she says would give the legislature the power to vote not to enforce federal laws or court decisions it deems to infringe on provincial jurisdiction. “I think the only thing United Conservative voters care about is sovereignty,” Johnson said. “Even candidates who were in some way anti-sovereignty in the beginning have moved into the light of sovereignty.” Young said Smith has been successful in getting people concerned about these issues to buy party memberships to shore up her support. Her momentum, as well as academic criticism that her sovereignty legislation would be unconstitutional, made her a prime target during the party’s first formal debate last month in Medicine Hat. But more than two months into the leadership race, how important is this second debate to influence the vote? Michael Solberg, a partner at New West Public Affairs in Calgary, said many members have likely made up their minds. Candidates need to build their sales pitch to the supporters of their enemies with whom they have the most in common to get those all-important second- and third-place votes of confidence, he said. The candidates spent surprisingly little time defeating Rachel Notley and the NDP in the next provincial election, scheduled for May, Solberg said. They should also target their pitches to the millions of Albertans who are not members of the UCP, he said. “Now is the time to flirt with the hearts and minds of voters with ideas,” Solberg said. “We’ll see what the defining issues are … but I think it has to be about electability. It has to be about inflation. It has to be about the economy.” The debate starts at 6pm and will be streamed live on the party’s website.

title: “Seven Candidates For The Leadership Of The United Conservative Party Will Face Off In The Debate In Edmonton Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-20” author: “Myron Tews”

That’s the message the United Conservative Party leadership candidates should be taking to party members during tonight’s debate if they were to be strategic, political observers say. Seven candidates will be in Edmonton for the party’s second — and final — official debate before the UCP begins distributing mail-in ballots on Friday. Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, says smart candidates should have back-up support, as it will be difficult to garner more than 50 per cent of the vote on the first ballot. “With so many candidates in the race, with the information we have to back it up, it seems unlikely,” Young said. The party will mail the ballots of its nearly 124,000 members, asking them to rank their choices in order of preference. Voters will write numbers next to the names of Leela Aheer, Brian Jean, Todd Loewen, Rajan Sawhney, Rebecca Schulz, Danielle Smith and Travis Toews. Members can also vote in person at five locations across the province on Oct. 6 — the same day the party will announce leadership results in Calgary. Members do not have to choose a second or third option and so on, but many will. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round, the person with the fewest votes is eliminated from the ballot. That candidate’s votes are then redistributed to those voters’ second choices. The party will repeat the process until a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. Previous polls had shown former Wildrose Party leader and broadcaster Smith as the frontrunner, with former Finance Minister Toews as a second challenger. Young spent her weekend tooling around with spreadsheets and modeling scripts. In a battle between Smith and Toews, victory depends on how well each performs in the first round, which competitors are eliminated first, how many voters ranked all the candidates and a myriad of other factors. It could take up to a fifth or sixth vote to anoint a winner, he found. Young is also watching to see if any candidates abandon the crowded field and publicly support another godly leader.

Smith the target in the first official debate

Political observers say Smith has set the agenda for the contest, almost from the start. Young said Smith heard from a group of people — mostly conservatives — who remain furious with federal government policies they say are designed to hurt Alberta’s economy. Many are angry about public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Six months ago, if someone said ‘Danielle Smith is going to be premier of Alberta,’ they would have said, ‘You’re crazy,’” said Maddy Johnson, senior campaign strategist at Crestview Strategy. Mandi Johnson, senior campaign strategist at Crestview Strategy, has worked for four of the seven UCP leadership candidates. (Submitted by Mandi Johnson) Johnson has also worked for four of the seven leadership candidates. A centerpiece of Smith’s campaign is Alberta’s proposed Sovereignty Act, which she says would give the legislature the power to vote not to enforce federal laws or court decisions it deems to infringe on provincial jurisdiction. “I think the only thing United Conservative voters care about is sovereignty,” Johnson said. “Even candidates who were in some way anti-sovereignty in the beginning have moved into the light of sovereignty.” Young said Smith has been successful in getting people concerned about these issues to buy party memberships to shore up her support. Her momentum, as well as academic criticism that her sovereignty legislation would be unconstitutional, made her a prime target during the party’s first formal debate last month in Medicine Hat. But more than two months into the leadership race, how important is this second debate to influence the vote? Michael Solberg, a partner at New West Public Affairs in Calgary, said many members have likely made up their minds. Candidates need to build their sales pitch to the supporters of their enemies with whom they have the most in common to get those all-important second- and third-place votes of confidence, he said. The candidates spent surprisingly little time defeating Rachel Notley and the NDP in the next provincial election, scheduled for May, Solberg said. They should also target their pitches to the millions of Albertans who are not members of the UCP, he said. “Now is the time to flirt with the hearts and minds of voters with ideas,” Solberg said. “We’ll see what the defining issues are … but I think it has to be about electability. It has to be about inflation. It has to be about the economy.” The debate starts at 6pm and will be streamed live on the party’s website.