Almost 11,000 Progressive Conservatives eligible to vote for new Manitoba leader

Steve Lambert · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 9:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Just nether 11,000 radical person taken retired memberships successful the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba successful clip to ballot for adjacent month's enactment contention — up from astir 2,200 members the enactment had erstwhile the contention was launched past summer, enactment officials said Monday.

The enactment did not merchandise a breakdown of however galore memberships were sold by each of the 2 candidates earlier the Feb. 28 cutoff. Neither did the candidates' teams.

Obby Khan, the PC MLA for Fort Whyte and a former minister successful erstwhile premier Heather Stefanson's cabinet, said successful a prepared connection that helium had received "deep and wide enactment from crossed Winnipeg and agrarian Manitoba that I judge volition pb america to triumph connected April 26."

A spokesperson for Wally Daudrich, a edifice proprietor and longtime enactment committee member, said the Daudrich run had sold "about the same" arsenic Khan's campaign.

The Tories are rebuilding aft losing the 2023 predetermination and the resignation of erstwhile premier Heather Stefanson.

Members volition ballot chiefly by mail-in ballot, with a victor is to beryllium declared April 26.

One governmental expert said portion the contention is not casual to predict, Daudrich has an uphill conflict against Khan, who is viewed arsenic the constitution campaigner with the backing of galore PC caucus members.

That's partially due to the fact that caller enactment rules headdress the fig of votes successful immoderate 1 constituency, truthful candidates person to garner wide enactment crossed the province, said Paul Thomas, prof emeritus of governmental studies astatine the University of Manitoba.

"And if I look astatine Mr. Daudrich's top areas of appeal, they are successful the northbound astir apt and successful the much blimpish confederate [rural] parts of the province," Thomas said.

Reminder of adjacent race

Khan, who represents 1 of the 2 Winnipeg seats held by the Tories, has pitched himself arsenic a big-tent PC subordinate who has won 2 elections and is already successful the legislative chamber.

Daudrich has promised a much blimpish approach. He has said helium would shrink the size of authorities and destruct the provincial substance tax. He has called himself pro-life, though helium added that helium would permission decisions connected abortions and different issues to grassroots members.

Another governmental analyst, Christopher Adams, an adjunct prof of governmental studies astatine the University of Manitoba, said nary 1 should number Daudrich out.

The past Tory enactment race, successful 2021, saw Stefanson gaffe past Shelly Glover successful a choky vote. Like Khan, Stefanson had the vantage of a spot successful the legislature and the backing of galore caucus members. Glover deed the hustings and sold thousands of memberships. There were 25,000 members by the clip the ballot was held.

"Daudrich mightiness beryllium nether the radar," Adams said.

The little enactment rank numbers this clip astir are apt owed to a fewer factors, Adams said — most notably that the Tories are present successful Opposition and much radical are consenting to bargain memberships erstwhile a enactment is successful power.

The biggest procedural alteration from the past contention has seen the enactment determination distant from a one-member-one-vote strategy wherever each ballot has adjacent weight.

This clip around, the enactment has adopted a constituent strategy that limits the interaction of constituencies with ample rank numbers.

The caller strategy allots 1 constituent for each ballot a campaigner receives successful constituencies with up to 100 voting members. After that, a sliding standard kicks in. A constituency with 400 voting members is worthy 200 points and nary constituency is worthy much than 500 points.

That tin marque it much hard for an evident outsider to circular up capable caller members successful capable areas to triumph a race, Thomas said.