Ashton to join race to succeed Doer

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This article was published 04/09/2009 (6164 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL Affairs Minister Steve Ashton will jump into the race to succeed Gary Doer as NDP leader and premier today, joining the younger Andrew Swan, who declared his candidacy Wednesday.

“I can bring people together,” Ashton said at a United Way fundraising event at the Pony Corral Thursday night as he confirmed he will officially announce at noon today his intention to seek the NDP leadership. If he wins, he said it will be the first time in many decades that a northern Manitoban has led a provincial party. Ashton cited his political experience as a reason party members should choose him over Swan. The Thompson MLA was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1981, and has been a cabinet minister since 2001, holding numerous portfolios.

An economist by training, Ashton, 53, said the province has the best chance in decades to grow. He said he is surprised there aren’t more candidates. Ashton has spoken to Finance Minister Greg Selinger, who he said will likely decide by Tuesday whether to join the race. A party member close to Selinger said Thursday the longtime finance minister was still weighing his options. “Greg is a thoughtful guy. He doesn’t make hasty decisions,” the party member said. “I think he’s just weighing all the pros and cons and taking his time to get a sense of what he really wants to do. There’s a lot of pressure on him to run. A lot of people want him to run.”

Allen Mills, a University of Winnipeg political scientist, said the race could be Selinger’s to lose.

“If he runs, I think he will win,” Mills said, adding Selinger “pulls in the left of the party very successfully, even though his own policies have not been terribly left wing.” At the same time, the silver-haired finance minister also appeals to “Doerite centrists,” the same people Swan seems to attract.

Some political observers have wondered why it’s taken Selinger so long to declare his candidacy, as the clock ticks on what will be a very short campaign. The leadership convention takes place in Winnipeg on Oct. 17. Swan, 41 and a rising star in the party, has everything to gain by running and far less to lose if he’s unsuccessful.

“Andrew is on the upswing no matter happens. He’s got a bright future ahead of him, whether he’s the next premier, the next leader down the road, a prominent cabinet minister. He’s only got gains (from running),” one party member said. “But when you’re an older established cabinet minister with a track record of your own, I think that’s a harder call to make.”

Paul Thomas, a University of Manitoba political scientist, said Selinger also has to decide whether he “wants to be consumed” by taking on the biggest job in government — with all its personal sacrifices — after a decade of having arguably the second-biggest job. He must also consider whether he can do a good enough job as the party’s chief salesman to keep the NDP in office.

— With files from Gordon Sinclair Jr.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca