Rob Anders Bow River bid unlikely to match Calgary West support, says watcher
Calgary political watcher says Rob Anders won't get same support if he runs for new Tory nomination
If Rob Anders decides to run for the Conservative nomination in Bow River, it's unlikely he'll get the same level of support as in his current Calgary West riding, says a local political watcher.
Anders, the longtime MP for Calgary West, lost the nomination battle for the new riding of Calgary Signal Hill in April to former Alberta finance minister Ron Liepert. He has expressed interest in running in rural Bow River, another new federal riding that runs northeast of Calgary and south to the Lethbridge area.
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"There was a base of support he had within the [Calgary West] riding," said Duane Bratt, chair of policy studies at Mount Royal University. "He was able to usually deal with the riding executive that were supporters of his. All those things came crashing down when Rob Liepert defeated him and defeated him decisively."
Bratt says it's not only the voters who may not support Anders in the new riding — it could also be the Conservative Party.
He says he is skeptical Anders could win in the new riding and that the party could step in to block his run for the nomination in Bow River.
"I would think that at a certain point, all parties need to decide that if you've lost one nomination race, that should be it," Bratt says. "You can't just, you know, try to find a venue to get yourself in."
Anders remains the MP for Calgary West until the next federal election.