Jeff Callaway quits bid for UCP leadership, endorses Jason Kenney
CBC News | Posted: October 4, 2017 8:03 PM | Last Updated: October 4, 2017
'I found myself agreeing a lot with Jason Kenney'
Jeff Callaway is dropping out of the race to lead Alberta's new United Conservative Party.
The former president of the now-folded Wildrose Party says he will back Jason Kenney.
"I found myself agreeing a lot with Jason Kenney through the course of it up on the debate stage," he said.
"And you know, I think at this stage, given his outlook and our relative experiences, I thought it would be best if we teamed up together and so made the decision."
Callaway said he was not promised anything in return for supporting Kenney's bid for the UCP leadership.
He said he would not have joined the race in the first place if he thought former Wildrose leader Brian Jean should be the party's first leader.
In a release on Wednesday, Kenney praised Callaway for his commitment to the party's grassroots and bringing "thoughtful and solid ideas" to the race.
"With the support of Jeff, we will work to defeat the NDP in 2019, and have a government that is on the side of Albertans," he said.
In addition to Kenney and Jean, Calgary lawyer Doug Schweitzer is also running for the leadership.
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