The Pollcast: The B.C. Liberals choose a leader
Host Éric Grenier is joined by Ian Bailey of the Globe and Mail
The CBC Pollcast explores the world of electoral politics, political polls and the trends they reveal.
When Christy Clark's government was defeated last July by an alliance between the New Democrats and Greens, she stepped down not only as premier of British Columbia but as leader of the B.C. Liberal Party as well.
On Saturday, the 60,000 members of the centre-right party will choose her replacement — and the person who will take on Premier John Horgan when the province next goes to the polls.
- Heated arguments as B.C. Liberal leadership candidates debate for last time
- Podcasts: Subscribe to the CBC Pollcast
With the NDP governing with a minority propped up by the Green Party's three MLAs, the next election could potentially come at any time. The B.C. Liberals won the most seats and the most votes in May's provincial election, so a return to government sooner rather than later is a distinct possibility.
Six people are in the running to be the next B.C. Liberal leader and, just maybe, the next premier of the province. They include MLAs Mike de Jong, Michael Lee, Todd Stone, Sam Sullivan and Andrew Wilkinson, as well as former Conservative MP Dianne Watts.
The party's caucus has primarily lined up behind de Jong, Stone and Wilkinson — but that doesn't necessarily mean they are the favourites. Clark won the party's last leadership race in 2011 with little caucus support.
So where do the six candidates stand within the party and what are their chances to win on Saturday?
To break down the state of the race, Pollcast host Éric Grenier is joined by Ian Bailey of the Globe and Mail.
Listen to the full discussion above — or subscribe to the CBC Pollcast here and listen to past episodes.
Follow Éric Grenier and Ian Bailey on Twitter.