The race to become the new leader of the Progressive Conservative party is finally showing signs of life.

On Thursday, two men said they wanted to replace Joe Clark and lead the Tories. MP Peter MacKay announced he was in. Jim Prentice, a lawyer from Calgary also announced he was running.

Heward Grafftey, a cabinet minister in Clark's short-lived government in 1979, announced in August that he wanted to be leader.

Until now the race has been known mainly for those who have turned their back on the opportunity to replace outgoing leader Joe Clark

Clark surprised his party in August when he decided to step down. "The good news," said Clark, "is that I am popular. The bad news is that we can't translate that into votes."

The search began for a vote-getter a saviour for the struggling Conservatives. But the response from the likes of New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord was "not interested."

"None of the prospective star candidates emerged," says David Taras, a political scientist at the University of Calgary. No Ralph Klein, no Mike Harris, no Ken Dryden. And I think the problem is the party is so weak, it's on life support."

MacKay launched his campaign with a speech in his home riding in Nova Scotia. But MacKay is being criticized for his timing. He's accused of rushing his announcement to beat out the campaign launch of Jim Prentice by a couple of hours.

For his part, Prentice is trying to sell himself as an outsider keen to shake up the political scene. "I'm a frustrated private citizen and not a professional politician. I speak for many Canadians when I say I am frustrated with the government we have, and the policies we have, and I want to do something about it."

MacKay has been a media darling of sorts in Ottawa and he's perceived by some as the front runner. But political scientist, Heather McIvor of the University of Windsor has a different view.

"The real wild card is Jim Prentice. If he can really impress people out of the gate and raise the money and team to make a run at it, the whole dynamic could be unpredictable," she said.

At least two others are expected to run. MP Scott Brison and Prairie farmer David Orchard.