Bob Kasting drops out of Vancouver mayoral race
Independent candidate throws support behind NPA's Kirk LaPointe
An independent candidate in Vancouver's mayoral race has bowed out nine days before general voting day.
Bob Kasting says he is dropping out because he realized he won't be able to attract widespread support.
"For a variety of reasons, I don't have the ability to convince the people of Vancouver that they should vote for me as the Vancouver mayor," he said.
- CITY VOTES 2014 | CBC News civic election coverage
- MAKE MY MAYOR | Mix, match and create your dream candidate
Instead, he is throwing his support behind NPA candidate Kirk LaPointe.
"He did not approach me, I approached him," Kasting said at a news conference at Robson Square on Thursday.
But, since Kasting missed the Oct. 17 deadline to bow out, some voters won't know the difference on Nov. 15. The ballots have already been printed, and voters will still be able to mark an "X" beside Kasting's name.
As for voters who already voted for him in advance polls, the former mayoral candidate said "thank you."
With files from the CBC's Richard Zussman