Categories
Alberta Politics

MLA Karen McPherson to endorse Rick Fraser in Alberta Party leadership race, sources confirm

One-third of the Alberta Party Caucus is expected to endorse Alberta Party leadership candidate Rick Fraser this morning, campaign sources confirm.

Rick Fraser MLA Alberta Party Calgary-South East
Rick Fraser

Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill MLA Karen McPherson is one of three Alberta Party MLAs in the Legislative Assembly. She was first elected as a New Democratic Party MLA in 2015 and joined the Alberta Party in 2017.

Fraser was elected as the Progressive Conservative MLA for Calgary-South East in 2012 and 2015. He briefly joined the United Conservative Party caucus before joining the Alberta Party leadership race in January 2018.

Following former leader Greg Clark’s resignation in Nov. 2017, the race flew largely under the radar of most Alberta politics watchers until former PC cabinet minister and three-term Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel threw his name into the contest. Calgary lawyer and federal Liberal official Kara Levis was the first candidate to join the race in late 2017.

By all accounts the race has been civil and the interactions between the three leadership campaigns have been friendly and cordial.

Membership sales for the leadership vote were cut off yesterday at noon. Voting will take place online from Feb. 25 to 27, 2018.

Results of the leadership race will be announced at an event at the Oasis Centre in Edmonton on Feb. 27. A results viewing party will be also be held at the Craft Beer Market in downtown Calgary.

4 replies on “MLA Karen McPherson to endorse Rick Fraser in Alberta Party leadership race, sources confirm”

I think there is more potential for the Alberta Party in Calgary than in Edmonton right now and with an elected MLA (who is not past normal retirement age) as leader. All Alberta Party MLA’ s so far have been from Calgary. Either way it is most likely a former PC as leader, so the Alberta Party will (or already has) become PC 2.0.

You know, I think if only pundits and bloggers could vote, the Alberta Party would at least be the Official Opposition, if not Government. They seem far more interesting to politician junkies than to the average voter. They are, in fact, so irrelevant in public opinion, they are only a few decimal points away from being classed as a “fringe party”, lumped right in with Christian Heritage and the Marxist-Leninists.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *