Defeated mayoral candidate Doug Ford says he is leaning towards running for the leadership of the Ontario Progress Conservative party, telling CP24 that there is a “7 out of 10 chance” that he will enter the race ahead of a January 30 deadline for candidates.
Ford made the comment in the wake of an interview with NewsTalk 1010 on Tuesday night in which he openly discussed running for the PC party’s top job and overhauling the party.
"I just think we have to, and I've said this for a while, clean-out the party,” Ford said. “There are certain values that have fallen by the wayside, and we have to start focusing on attracting everyone to the party."
Ford, whose father was a one-term MPP in the late 90s, previously raised the possibility of running for the PC’s in Etobicoke-North in the most recent provincial election, though he ultimately decided against seeking the nomination so he could focus on his brother’s mayoral campaign
If Ford does run for the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives, party insiders are split on how he would fare.
In a report in the Canadian Press one party veteran said Ford would “absolutely be a credible candidate” because of his ability to guide the party to a breakthrough in Toronto while another said many party members may be “leery” of taking a risk on a candidate who has proven to be a “polarizing figure”
Speaking with reporters at Queen’s Park on Wednesday afternoon, departing leader Tim Hudak seemed to suggest that Ford would be an intriguing option as his successor, though he refused to comment on whether he would be supportive of his candidacy.
“He got a lot of votes and he won in areas where I didn’t get those votes right? Well see what he decides to do. My job as the former leader is just to encourage good people to get in the race,” he said.
So far Tory MPP’s Vic Fedeli, Christine Elliott, Monte McNaughton and Lisa MacLeod as well as Conservative MP Patrick Brown have expressed interest in running for the leadership of the PC party.
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With files from The Canadian Press.
