UCP leadership candidate ramps up campaign as membership deadline looms

The United Conservative Party leadership candidate stepped up his campaign on Thursday as the campaign deadline loomed.

An Albertan has until late Friday afternoon to purchase or renew her UCP membership to be eligible to vote for the new party leader in October.

All seven candidates were busy with membership activities on Thursday when they hosted a number of events in rural Alberta.

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Rebecca Schultz, his MLA on the Calgary Show and former Minister of Child Services for Alberta, said the day was about listening to voters and building momentum in his campaign. was everything.

"One of the things I heard from her today here in rural Alberta is how refreshing it is to have a different tone and approach that people don't want the status quo." she said.

"They want hope and optimism, and a little less anger and division."

Former Finance Minister Travis Toos because many Albertans who said they were moving across the province "haven't had a say" for years.

He said it was great to hear people from rural Alberta talk about their problems, especially the economy and health care.

"Inflation is a concern for so many Albertans, and it makes sense," Toews said. “Affordability is a big issue. I think everyone feels it, especially young families with fixed incomes and people in Alberta. We are facing a health care capacity crisis, especially in rural Alberta…We must take real action on it…This requires everyone to be involved in health care -Care Division.

Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche MLA Brian Jean says he is happy with membership sales, saying he has sold "thousands" in the past few months. claim.

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He also said he was not an "established" in-house candidate. , the reception was very positive.

"The only way to stay competitive and strong is if he beats the NDP and Rachel Notley in the next election," Jean said.

"There's a lot of confusion [in this race]. People are confused. They're listening to fairy tales and nursery rhymes.

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Matt Solberg, partner New West Public Affairs and former government official, said the last 24 hours before membership deadlines are the busiest and most important time for candidates.

"In the end, it is the members of this party who will decide who will be the next leader." he said.

Membership numbers are also a good indicator of how excited members are about the leadership race, Solberg said. Parties can compare membership in this Leadership Race with membership in Prime Minister Jason Kenny's Leadership Review and other Leadership Races.

But a large membership does not imply a broad constituency within the general public.

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Conservative circles are certainly now in this UCP leadership race. ,” said Solberg.

"But after this deadline, we will have to see if it will lead to broader excitement for the party with the general public."

Solberg said the candidate , said he would also focus on gaining support for his campaign rather than alienating others.

UCP's leadership race will have priority voting. This means that members can rank their preferred leaders in order. If no candidate receives a majority of first-place votes, the party will rely on his second-, third-, and fourth-place endorsements to determine the winner.

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"This means that you can not only accommodate your own supporters, but also supporters of other campaigns in a way that does not alienate them." ,” said Solberg. “This is difficult to achieve, especially when a particular idea in this campaign gets a lot of attention.

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