Alberta's two main political rivals have baggage to shed ahead of May 29 election
CTV
Alberta’s two main provincial political party leaders are set to duel for the province's highest office starting Monday in a campaign that for both could be a case of win or go home.
Alberta’s two main provincial political party leaders are set to duel for the province's highest office starting Monday in a campaign that for both could be a case of win or go home.
A win by United Conservative Leader Danielle Smith and her party gets a second term, defeating Rachel Notley and her NDP just like in 2019.
A loss and Smith risks being tossed out by her party, wearing the ignominy of the first Alberta conservative leader to lose in a head to head fight with the NDP, given the NDP won government in 2015 with a big boost from conservative vote-splitting.
A win by Notley and it’s two of the last three elections going orange, with a chance to cement the NDP as Alberta’s dominant party. A loss and it’s two L’s in a row and perhaps calls for renewed leadership.
Political scientist Lori Williams said both will bring baggage to the campaign trail, which begins with Monday’s expected writ drop and ends with a May 29 voting day.
Smith is shouldering multiple controversies, including an ongoing ethics investigation tied to her phone call offering to help a street preacher with his criminal trial.
Notley had to quell a messy internal party fight last year over accusations of verbal abuse of party volunteers, not to mention former caucus member Thomas Dang, who is not seeking re-election, being charged with hacking into a government website.
