Fundraiser quits in leadership spat
Tory committee rejects complaints from Starke supporter against Kenney
The Progressive Conservative leadership campaign is back on track after complaints filed against front-runner Jason Kenney by a rival’s former fundraiser were rejected Sunday night, sources said.
Kenney rival Richard Starke asked his lead campaign fundraiser Jeffrey Rath to resign after Rath submitted two complaints against Kenney’s campaign this week. In the first complaint filed on Thursday, Rath states Kenney has been damaging the PC “brand” by exploring options to unite members of the provincial Tories and the Wildrose.
Sources said the leadership election committee voted to reject the complaint on Sunday night and said the complaint was filed “too late in the race to consider such a material question.”
Starke said in a statement he “neither directed, requested, nor encouraged” Rath to file the complaint. Starke said he has asked Rath to withdraw the complaint and requested he remove himself from Starke’s campaign.
Starke said party members are allowed to file complaints as they see fit and he would not make “any judgment” on the validity of Rath’s claims. “Ultimately, it is his complaint … that’s up to him.”
Rath’s second complaint, filed Sunday morning, said his office has received “abusive telephone calls and emails from Mr. Kenney’s supporters.” Rath said he will not back down from his position, despite alleged “personal attacks” on himself and his staff.
Rath said he was not motivated by Starke to file the complaints but said he felt obligated as a member of the party, calling Kenney’s drive to unite the right by creating a new party with the Wildrose “misleading and disingenuous.”
“I filed this complaint as a matter of conscience, and I want a historical marker put down as to whether or not the leadership election committee ... and the board of directors of the PCAA are prepared to stand and be counted in regard to their obligation to protect the association or to protect the organization and its brand.”
Kenney responded on Twitter to Starke’s comments, thanking his opponent for asking for the complaint to be withdrawn.
On Sunday, four Conservative MLAs submitted a request to the leadership election committee to withdraw the complaint against Kenney. In a statement, Kenny campaign spokesman Blais Boehmer said Rath’s complaints are an attempt “to undermine our PC leadership election.”
“Over 80 per cent of PC members have cast their votes for the PC leadership,” Boehmer said. “The vast majority have voted for unity by supporting our unite Alberta campaign. This legal manoeuvre is an effort to scrap those votes by blocking Jason’s candidacy precisely because of the unity message that members are voting for.”