ERIN O’TOOLE SEEMED TO HAVE GAINED THE MOST GROUND.

middle, if by “middle” one means saying little of substance while signalling no discernible change from the course adopted under Stephen Harper — if “course” is the right word for aimless drift punctuated by the occasional wedge issue or carefully targeted distribution of goodies.

Andrew Scheer may prove the most successful of these, though not because he had the best race: with the most caucus endorsements of any candidate at the start of his campaign, he carried caution to the point of catatonia, offering little rationale for his candidacy but a shy smile and some dad jokes. By contrast Erin O’Toole seemed to have gained the most ground over the campaign. He may not have had much to say, but he said it very well, with an air of confidence and command.

As for the rest, only two are really worth mentioning. Lisa Raitt was both well-liked and well-respected at the start of the race; that she remains so at the end is about all that can be said about her inert, purposeless campaign. Chris Alexander, meanwhile, a person of some reputation before he got into politics, has seemed to shrink ever since. His attempted straddle, combining high-minded appeals to liberal internationalism — for example, his call to raise immigration levels — with rank pandering to the Ezra Levant crowd, was one of the more painful things to watch in the campaign.

We shall see soon enough who the winner is. For many of the candidates, the race was less about any realistic prospect of victory than it was enhancing their standing in the party. For several, it has proved a success in that regard — and their success is also the party’s. A front bench stocked with such agreeable figures as Bernier, O’Toole, Chong, Scheer and Raitt, to go with other rising stars such as Gerald Deltell and Candice Bergen, will do much to erase memories of the harsh partisanship of the Harper years.

All told Conservatives have much to be thankful for. The party emerges from the race not only with a fresh sense of direction and a marked change in tone, but with significantly increased membership numbers and a regained lead over the Liberals in raising funds. It could have been worse.