Safe Liberal, NDP seats may be in play

One might expect that a candidate who has the majority of votes, and wins the majority of ridings, in an Ontario provincial leadership election would become the party leader.
However, this was not what unfolded Saturday when Doug Ford was crowned the provincial Progressive Conservative leader.
The difference was in the number of votes assigned to the candidates. Each riding was assigned 100 votes and the votes were distributed to each candidate based on the votes cast on their behalf in the ridings.
Doug Ford eked out a narrow victory after faithful party members were sent home from the hotel after controversy arose over the residency of various voters. Into the evening, the party was able to determine exactly which ridings the 3,000 votes cast belonged to.
In the end, it took almost six hours to make the determination.
The election fiasco does not bode well for Conservatives. The June 7 general election is theirs to win and early polling suggests Ontario residents are ready to elect any government except one headed by Kathleen Wynne.
However, those polling numbers show that much of the Conservative base is soft.
Ford won the leadership race in Toronto and 905 ridings that long have supported the New Democrat and Liberal provincial parties. Traditional conservative rural ridings across much of Ontario supported the other candidates.
This may be beneficial in the next provincial election. Will Toronto support him in the provincial election as they supported him in the leadership race? That remains a question.
Doug Ford was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He traditionally has portrayed himself and his campaign as defending the common working person.
In a Sudbury stop during the leadership race, Ford was quoted as saying, “I love the people here. They’re down to earth, they’re real people, they’re grassroots people. And they’ve been ignored.”
“I stand up for the little guy.”
At a stop in Thunder Bay, Ford promoted that he is ready to take action on the “Ring of Fire.”
But Doug Ford took over the family business, Deco Labels and Tags, and in the next decade expanded into the United States, acquiring firms in New Jersey and beginning business in Chicago.
The company had sales of over $100 million by 2010.
A young conservative business person from Emo believes Doug Ford will bring more opportunities to Ontario residents and businesses with his successful business campaign.
In the balloting for the leadership, Ford won a majority of Toronto ridings by wide margins. Runner-up Christine Elliott won majorities in much of rural Ontario ridings. His popularity in Toronto, as well as the 905 area code region, could put a great many traditional Liberal and NDP seats in play.
We will wait for his platform to be presented.