‘Humbled’ student, 19, wins Tory race
ST. CATHARINES, ONT .• Chances are you have never heard of Sam Oosterhoff.
But the 19- year- old social conservative and Brock University political science student has become a key figure in Ontario provincial politics.
On Saturday, Oosterhoff won the race to become the Ontario Progressive Conservative candidate for Niagara West- Glanbrook, the territory of former PC party leader Tim Hudak.
Oosterhoff will contend for the seat against Liberal Vicky Ringuette and a yet to be named NDP candidate in the Nov. 17 byelection, regarded as a mini- referendum on the unpopular government of Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne and the leadership of PC boss Patrick Brown.
Should he win, Oosterhoff would become the youngest MPP in Ontario history.
But party insiders say his victory over two established Tory politicians — including former St. Catharines Conservative MP and current PC party president Rick Dykstra — is simultaneously a rebuke of the PC party establishment in the riding and the result of vote-splitting and internal political manoeuvring gone awry.
“I think part of the lesson here is that if we, as the party establishment, take things for granted, if you take people and groups in the community for granted, they will stand up and make their voice heard. That is what happened here,” said Grimsby regional councillor Tony Quirk who, along with Dykstra, was regarded as one of the favourites to win the nomination.
“Look at what is happening to the Republican Party. Look at the lessons they have had to learn in the last few months.”
Oosterhoff is not saying what he thinks of his victory, the state of his party or what he thinks it all means. At least not on Sunday.
“He is here, but he doesn’t work on a Sunday as he believes it is a day of rest,” said a man who answered Oosterhoff ’s phone Sunday morning. He did not identify himself and hung up when a request to interview Oosterhoff was repeated.
However, on a video posted on his campaign’s Facebook page Saturday night, Oosterhoff said he was “humbled.”
“I ran to be a strong conservative voice, with conservative values and principles,” Oosterhoff said in the video. “Now that I am the candidate, the next big task is to keep this riding blue in the byelection.”
The nomination was decided using a multi- choice vote. Voters selected their first, second, third and fourth choices. If there was no winner after the fi rst- place choices were counted, the second choices were counted and so on.
Oosterhoff shocked many Tories with a clear victory. He won 699 votes to Dykstra’s 525. Mike Williscraft, owner of the local newspaper NewsNow, received 245 votes and Quirk got 225.
Dykstra, who congratulated Oosterhoff after the votes were counted, declined an interview request Sunday.
Quirk said although he and Dykstra were widely regarded as the front-runners, the view from his campaign was somewhat different.
“I told anyone who would listen that Oosterhoff was a serious contender,” he said. “Sam had a great deal of support in the riding. Just his family alone gave him a 100-vote advantage.”
Quirk said he ran his nomination campaign while attending to his duties as a regional councillor and working his full-time job. Oosterhoff, he said, had a lot more time to gather supporters.
“Basically he reduced his class load ( at Brock) so he could work on his campaign full time.
“And he did a great job,” Quirk said. “And, to be honest, I was caught with my pants down a little bit.”
Quirk also reportedly attempted his own manoeuvring, which backfired.
A source inside the Dykstra campaign, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Quirk, in a bid to block Dykstra, asked his supporters to write in Oosterhoff as their second choice. In return, Quirk asked to be the second choice of Oosterhoff ’s supporters.
However, the source said, many of Oosterhoff ’s supporters did not select Quirk as their second choice.
Quirk said Sunday that he and Oosterhoff did indeed have an agreement of mutual support. However, Quirk said he underestimated the number of people backing Oosterhoff.
At the same time, Williscraft won enough support away from Quirk and Dykstra to allow Oosterhoff to gain an advantage, Quirk said.
Some Niagara Tory party members, speaking anonymously, said they are concerned Oosterhoff ’s socially conservative views do not line up with those of PC leader Patrick Brown.
Some said they may not vote on Nov. 17 as a silent protest.
Quirk, meanwhile, doesn’t see Oosterhoff ’s views as a problem.
“I have said from the beginning that I will support the party and support the candidate that wins the nomination,” said Quirk.