O’Leary’s withdrawal from race a letdown for local supporters
Weekend appearance in Kelowna was Kevin O’Leary’s last as Conservative leadership candidate
The last whistle stop for the Kevin O’Leary train was in Kelowna.
Enthusiastic local backers of O’Leary’s bid for the leadership of the federal Conservative party say they’re surprised and dismayed by his decision to drop out of the race.
“I was shocked by his announcement,” Larry Gray, vice-president of the KelownaLake Country Conservative riding association, said Wednesday.
“I was a big supporter of his populist movement,” Gray said. “I don’t think anyone who backed him could have seen this coming.”
Gray helped organize O’Leary’s last public event as a leadership contender, a Saturday morning address at the Coast Capri Hotel that drew 425 people.
O’Leary, a reality-TV star, announced Wednesday that he was quitting the race because his campaign wasn’t getting much traction in Quebec. Given that, O’Leary said, he stood little chance of defeating Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the next federal election.
O’Leary is urging his former supporters to cast their ballot instead for Quebec MP Maxime Bernier.
While O’Leary backers may be lamenting his departure from the race, Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola Conservative MP Dan Albas welcomed the news. Albas said last fall he was endorsing Bernier for the leadership, and he has been serving as his campaign co-chair in B.C.
“I’m very happy Mr. O’Leary is now backing Mr. Bernier,” Albas said.
“I certainly appreciate how Mr. O’Leary has helped to raise interest in the leadership race, and drawing new members to the party.”
Albas says he’s supporting Bernier because he is fluently bilingual, has a history with the Conservative party, and has outlined a platform of economic freedom he believes will be appealing to many young people.
“As Conservatives, we need to recalibrate, and come back at the next election with policies that millennials will be interested in,” Albas said.
“Maxime gives us the best chance to win the next election.”