SECOND AND THIRD PLACE WILL BE KEY AT CONVENTION
With a pause in the race Alex MacPherson and D.C. Fraser assess the candidates
As the race to replace Brad Wall as leader of the Saskatchewan Party enters its fourth month, all six candidates can stop and catch their breath after the Dec. 8 deadline to sell memberships came and went.
While there is still work to do — second- and third-place on the preferential ballot will be crucial at the convention on Jan. 27 — here is where we think each of the six candidates stand after a marathon campaign.
TINA BEAUDRY-MELLOR
Beaudry-Mellor has virtually no chance of winning. She is an urban candidate in a predominantly rural party who has struggled to attract the kind of donations needed to pay for a robust campaign. Her policies and promises have been forwardthinking, but at this point her aim is likely to secure a prominent cabinet position next year while at the same time consolidating support, as her Regina constituency could be threatened by the Saskatchewan NDP in 2020.
ROB CLARKE
Clarke is the dark horse. He entered the race late, months after rumours about his candidacy swirled — and then died out. Although it’s possible he has been quietly signing up members for weeks or even months, he is unlikely to be many establishment voters’ second or third ballot choice. If Clarke comes from behind and wins, he’ll almost certainly have to do it on the first ballot — and that seems unlikely given how hard his competitors have been working.
KEN CHEVELDAYOFF
Long thought to have the best campaign machinery around, Sask. Party veteran Cheveldayoff has made no secret of how hard he is working or how many communities he has visited. His policies have been scattershot — from vowing to axe the provincial sales tax on insurance to supporting small-town hockey rinks — and his pro-life comments were poorly-received, but he remains a serious contender. Cheveldayoff may struggle to attract second and third choices, so his best hope of winning is to build an insurmountable lead out of the gate.
ALANNA KOCH
Koch is the outsider. Almost no one outside the province’s political and agricultural circles has heard of her, yet she is wellfinanced and in possession of a decently comprehensive policy platform. Koch has made few missteps since her ill-conceived “mandate letter” to voters, and is a likely second choice for many party members who support other candidates, especially those with rural bases. Koch stands as good a chance of winning as anyone in this race.
SCOTT MOE
Moe has the deepest caucus support of any candidate, meaning he has plenty of well-known supporters to sign up members on his behalf. Coupled with his rural roots, decent policy platform and lack of missteps — early in the campaign, his camp addressed a fatal car crash in which he was involved and it has not come up since — is unlikely to give Moe a first-ballot victory but could propel him to the second spot on thousands of ballots.
GORD WYANT
Despite working to shed his image as the token Liberal in the race, Wyant’s urban background could hurt him in the Sask. Party heartland despite endorsements from a current and former agriculture minister. His path to victory involves the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. The STF hasn’t endorsed a candidate, but it’s no secret among party insiders that many of its 13,000 members are attracted to Wyant’s platform, which is the strongest and most moderate of any candidate.