Early voting puts Kinew ahead in NDP leadership race

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This article was published 22/08/2017 (2980 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba NDP leadership candidate Wab Kinew has taken a significant lead over rival Steve Ashton after delegate and youth voting concluded Monday.

Kinew now needs less than one in four of the votes that will be cast at the Sept. 16 convention by labour delegates and senior party members to become the next NDP leader.

The MLA for Fort Rouge is ahead 589 to 339, counting both constituency delegates and youth delegates, the NDP said Tuesday. Four delegates will go to the convention as independents.

Kinew’s camp claimed 45 of 79 youth delegates.

The 35-year-old rookie MLA is within 104 votes of a majority, assuming no delegate changes his or her vote at the convention. There are 1,387 registered to vote, so Kinew needs 693 to win.

The votes for leadership candidates are cast via secret ballot and delegates are not bound to anyone, NDP provincial secretary Keith Bellamy said Tuesday.

The party said labour has up to 285 votes that can be cast at the convention, and there are 170 so-called automatic delegates who have registered, which include MLAs, constituency association chairpersons and other senior party members.

“Kinew won a majority of delegates in 45 out of the 57 constituencies, and tied in four. Kinew tied Ashton in northern constituencies, each winning 18 delegates, and won decisive victories in every other region of the province,” Kinew’s campaign said in a statement.

“I’m humbled,” Kinew said in an interview. “Today, we also have to recognize the campaign team I’m working with has been honoured with the preliminary results.”

Ashton’s campaign did not comment Tuesday.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca