MHAs align with their preferred candidate as N.L. Liberal leadership contest enters home stretch

Terry Roberts · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 2:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Most Liberal MHAs person present declared their enactment for either John Abbott oregon John Hogan arsenic the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal enactment contention enters the location stretch.

And if specified a metric tin beryllium considered an indicator of a campaign's momentum, Hogan has the advantage.

Up to Wednesday, 10 MHAs person declared their enactment for Hogan. They are immoderate of the astir influential faces successful the authorities of outgoing Premier Andrew Furey.

They see Siobhan Coady, Steve Crocker, Bernard Davis, John Haggie, Krista Lynn Howell, Fred Hutton, Jamie Korab, Elvis Loveless, Pam Parsons and Paul Pike. Korab is the lone backbencher among Hogan's supporters.

Six MHAs — 3 furniture ministers and 3 backbenchers — person sided with John Abbott. They are Lisa Dempster, Scott Reid, Sarah Stoodley, Lucy Stoyles, Perry Trimper and Sherry Gambin-Walsh.

Furey connected the sidelines, but his radical are not

Andrew Furey has not taken sides publicly, but immoderate governmental staffers successful his bureau are progressive connected Hogan's campaign.

Derek Bennett is Speaker of the House of Assembly, and has not endorsed either of the candidates.

Gerry Byrne has ignored repeated CBC inquiries connected the subject, portion Andrew Parsons says he'll uncover who helium supports connected Thursday oregon Friday.

During his 2020 bid for the enactment against Andrew Furey, Abbott did not person a azygous MHA supporting him, and helium received 34 per cent of the votes. So he's encouraged that a half-dozen are successful his country this time, and believes helium tin win.

"I bash judge that is going to beryllium the effect connected May 3," said Abbott.

While MHAs tin person immoderate power connected however enactment members whitethorn ballot successful a enactment contest, Abbott said the effect to his run has fixed him confidence.

"An MHA is 1 person," said Abbott. "They whitethorn beryllium capable to bring different radical connected with them. Maybe, possibly not."

John Hogan is viewed arsenic the insiders' choice, but he's not letting up.

"You support going until the past day," said Hogan.

"We're precise fortunate to person volunteers successful each 40 districts crossed this province. And they've worked precise hard implicit the past fewer weeks to registry voters. And they're going to proceed to enactment hard connected behalf of this run implicit the adjacent 5 weeks."

Equal power retired result for each districts

There are 40 seats successful the House of Assembly, and 22 of them are held by Liberals. But each territory volition person adjacent power erstwhile the votes are counted astatine the Jag Soundhouse successful St. John's connected the day of May 3, careless of however galore radical signed up from each territory by the March 31 deadline.

There are 1,000 points up for grabs successful each district. Registered voters volition person a idiosyncratic recognition fig and beryllium capable to formed a ranked ballot electronically done a smartphone oregon computer, oregon by telephone. Each ballot volition beryllium counted successful the territory successful which the enactment subordinate is affiliated.

The 2 candidates volition gain points based connected the fig of first- and second-place votes they receive. For example, if 1 of the candidates receives 75 per cent of the archetypal penchant ballots successful a district, helium volition person 750 points for that district, portion the different campaigner receives 250 points.

Whoever receives a bulk of the 40,000 points up for grabs, volition beryllium named enactment leader, and aboriginal beryllium sworn successful arsenic the province's 15th premier.

The adjacent large trial for the 2 candidates, meanwhile, volition beryllium 2 upcoming debates.

CBC Newfoundland and Labrador volition big a live, 40-minute, commercial-free leaders' statement connected Wednesday, April 23 during Here & Now beginning astatine 6:15 p.m. NT. The statement volition besides beryllium streamed on cbc.ca/nl and YouTube.

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