Provincial parties working to select candidates for upcoming spring election

By Gillian Slade on December 29, 2018.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com @MHNGillianSlade

Many political parties aim to have a candidate run in every riding during an election.

With a provincial election to take place before the end of May, there has been a lot of activity at the local constituent association level to seek contestants and select a candidate.

The Alberta Party has contestants or candidates in 61 of the 87 ridings, according to Elections Alberta’s website. There are three ridings with contestants who are shown as not being endorsed yet and two ridings where dates have been set for selection of candidates in January. The Alberta Party does not have a candidate yet in the Cypress-Medicine Hat riding. Jim Black is their candidate in Brooks-Medicine Hat.

The Liberal Party of Alberta is showing endorsed candidates in seven ridings. A selection date to determine candidates is outstanding for two other ridings, according to Elections Alberta.

Gary Bobrovitz of the Liberal Party tells the News the plan is to have Liberal candidates in the two local ridings.

“We are vetting several prospective people. We will announce the persons in the new year,” said Bobrovitz.

The NDP has endorsed candidates in 51 of the 87 ridings. In Medicine Hat MLA Bob Wanner recently announced he will not be seeking another term in office, and work is underway to seek a candidate in this Brooks-Medicine Hat riding as well as Cypress-Medicine Hat.

Elections Alberta indicates there are seven ridings where the NDP has contestants listed but no date has been set yet for the selection of candidates. There are also six ridings where a candidate it not shown as being endorsed yet.

The UCP has someone selected in 80 of the 87 ridings with seven ridings still without a date for selection of a candidate, according to the Elections Alberta website. Michaela Glasgo is the UCP candidate in Brooks-Medicine Hat and Drew Barnes in Cypress-Medicine Hat.

Some parties have attracted numerous contestants for each riding with the UCP having as many as nine contestants in one riding and a number with six, seven or eight for a total of more than 310 contestants altogether.

In many ridings the NDP has had one contestant per riding but the Calgary Varsity riding attracted four.