Party asked candidate to remove name from ballot

A candidate for the United Conservative Party nomination in Brooks-Medicine Hat says he was asked to remove his name from the ballot just days before the vote because of social media posts that “could be construed as intolerant and offensive.”

Todd Beasley was one of three candidates vying for the nomination, along with Michaela Glasgo and Dinah Hiebert.

But in a statement posted to Facebook Saturday, he announced he would be withdrawing his name after being asked by the party to do so.

“While I do not agree with this request, I respect the party’s right to approve or reject their potential candidates. My name will not appear on the upcoming ballot,” Beasley stated.

“I understand that you deserve to know the details leading to this outcome. Those of you who know me well know that I have strong opinions on many subjects. I make no apologies for those thoughts, many of which I have expressed publicly. There is a perception in some quarters that certain published opinions could be construed as intolerant and offensive to some. Again, I make no apologies. My sense of right and wrong will not allow me to remain silent when my conscience demands otherwise.”

UCP political operations director Jeff Henwood would not elaborate on the nature of Beasley’s public comments, but said they were “concerning” and “outside of mainstream.”

“Mr. Kenney’s been very clear for the last couple of years that all prospective candidates would go through a thorough vetting process and that comments that are malicious or hateful will not be tolerated,” Henwood said. “Obviously Mr. Kenney and the party’s nomination committee and the party board had concerns with these comments. They were shared with Mr. Beasley and he’s made the decision to withdraw.”

Henwood said the party only discovered the comments it found concerning earlier last week. He said the party then approached Beasley and asked if he would consider withdrawing.

“I wish we knew everything about everyone the very second they entered the race but obviously (that) doesn’t happen,” Henwood said.

Beasley has not yet responded to Postmedia’s request for comment.

In his statement, he said he strongly recommended the UCP cancel the nomination vote, calling the timeline arbitrary.

“They should consider taking the time to identify and recruit strong candidates,” he stated. “The people of Brooks Medicine Hat deserve the very best representation possible. If the election goes ahead I’d encourage my supporters to follow their own best judgment.”