Patzer earns final ballot victory to win Conservative Party candidacy for Cypress Hills - Grasslands
Jeremy Patzer earned a fifth ballot victory to earn the Conservative Party nomination in the Cypress Hills - Grasslands constituency, ending a marathon nomination meeting in Swift Current on Saturday night.
Patzer captured the nomination ahead of Megz Reynolds, Norman Nordgulen, Kelly Williamson, Sean Checkley and Kyle Bennett in a vote which dropped off the bottom vote getter on the preferred ballot and resuming the count before the winner was decided.
“It was a great race and obviously we’re thrilled with the result. The other five candidates did a great job as well. We’ve got a lot of interest now for the party in the riding, and it’s great to build up that membership base throughout the whole process,” Patzer said shortly after winning the nomination.
Party supporters had two days of voting, with just over 1,400 of the 2,500 eligible voters casting their ballots in Maple Creek and Kindersley on Friday, followed by balloting in Assiniboia and Swift Current on Saturday.
However, when the ballot closed in Swift Current at 8:30 p.m., it was a full two hours before the winner was announced right around 10:30 p.m.
“Just unbelievable,” Patzer said of the feeling after that extended wait on Saturday night. “Just the emotion and the relief that you’ve been at it for three months and see your hard work and your efforts pay off, it was just fantastic.”
He spent much of the team being patient waiting for the results by visiting with those gathered in the SCCHS Cafetorium for the vote.
“The beauty of this job is the people, that’s what it boils down to. And be able to talk with people who are from all the different communities in the area and talking to them. It made it a lot easier while they were doing the counting.”
Patzer launched his campaign back on March 18 and he felt that his experience working with the Conservative Party resonated with those casting ballots. He served on the Constituency Board of Directors for the past four years, and is currently serving as a member at large on the Constituency Executive. He pointed out during the campaign that he had also lent a hand during election campaigns as a teenager, and had travelled to party events and assisted with door knocking over the years.
“I think just the biggest thing for me - my involvement with the party. I’ve been committed from a young age, and also just my experience with working on the board. I think people see that. Being community minded and being a family man, I think that resonates with a lot of people as well and it’s easier to relate with people. And having roots in a small town of Frontier where I grew up, but also being in Swift Current here now for just about the last 10 years, it gives me a good understanding of what’s going on throughout the riding.” Patzer said an additional benefit of his campaign was being centrally located in Swift Current. While he was in the middle of the riding, other candidates had some longer trips while covering all corners of the constituency.
“Being able to be centrally located, having strong relationships with people in numerous communities before this whole process began. That’s key because you’ve got to have a team in place and you’ve got to have good people that you can trust and rely upon, and we had that in place.”
Patzer was quickly shifting gears after the nomination vote announcement, receiving congratulations from numerous people who will now be a part of his election campaign team.
“It was the finishing line for the nomination process, but it’s the starting line for the national campaign here now. We’re excited for Andrew Scheer and to see the direction that we’re going as a party. It excites me and I’m looking forward to October 21.”