Randy Simms, Graham Letto seek Liberal nominations

Mount Pearl Mayor Randy Simms announced Tuesday that he's seeking the Liberal nomination in Mount Pearl North, while former mayor Graham Letto says he'll be running in the district of Labrador West.

• Randy Simms, Graham Letto seeking provincial Liberal nominations

The Mount Pearl North seat is currently held by former Mount Pearl mayor Steve Kent.

"Being a member of the House of Assembly has long been a dream of mine," Simms told a crowd of supporters Tuesday afternoon. 

Simms said he doesn't support Premier Paul Davis' plan to increase the provincial sales tax.

"The challenges that we face in Newfoundland and Labrador today are not small ones. The economic downturn that we have experienced with dropping oil and iron ore prices is not a short-term blip," he said. 

Simms recently resigned his position with the Liberal opposition staff. He will stay on as mayor of Mount Pearl and take a leave of absence during the official election period. 

Letto took to social media to make his announcement.

"I am looking forward to becoming a member of the great Liberal team Dwight Ball has assembled for the provincial election," he tweeted Tuesday.

Letto previously ran for the provincial Progressive Conservatives and federal Tories, but began working for the Liberals in 2011. He is a former mayor of Labrador City.

Kent told CBC News Tuesday afternoon that the race against Simms is just one of many interesting provincial campaigns to watch in the coming months. 

"I'm sure that there will be lots of attention to given to this race, just given that you have high profile candidates," Kent said. 

Some political commentators had fun with the campaign on Twitter Tuesday afternoon, likening the competition between Kent and Simms to a boxing title match.