‘It’s really a fear versus loathing campaign: Do you fear Jason Kenney more than you loathe the New Democrats, or vice versa’
EDMONTON — Albertans are heading to the polls on April 16, and the question is whether or not Jason Kenney’s campaign to return Wild Rose country to conservative rule is going to be successful, or, as his party finds itself embroiled in scandal, Rachel Notley’s New Democrats can secure another term.
The NDP hopes to take advantage of a growing scandal involving allegations that a “kamikaze candidate” helped Kenney win the October 2017 leadership by attacking his main rival, Brian Jean, during the race. The New Democrats plan to defend their record by touting “diversification,” hospital spending and efforts to reduce wait times, and their push to get the TransMountain Pipeline built to get Alberta oil to market.
But, says Richard Starke, a long-time Alberta conservative who sat as an independent instead of joining the UCP and is now retiring from politics, the two most recent Alberta elections are a warning against that conclusion. Kenney doesn’t have a clear path to victory, he said. The party, as of Friday, had three separate websites up and running that promise to tell the “truth” about Kenney, highlighting his past statements about issues ranging from LGBTQ people to abortion access and social services. The NDP’s social media accounts focus heavily on Kenney, mixed with the occasional touting of the NDP record, including halving the child-poverty rate.
Kenney’s campaign has always had the air of the prodigal son’s return. As one senior UCP operative put it: “We believe this is the party of Alberta.”At the UCP’s campaign headquarters in downtown Edmonton, stacks of Keurig coffee pods sat on a shelf. There’s a war room, a section for communications, and a candidate management area, where paper maps of Alberta’s ridings are adorned with sticky notes. On Friday, the office was still being set up, with a handful of staff working away.
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