Article content
Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi is withdrawing from the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) leadership race, and endorsing former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, who she claims has more than doubled the size of the party’s membership since entering the contest two weeks ago.
Pancholi made the announcement via a news release early Tuesday.
Article content
“Growing our party has always been and will continue to be my first priority. Rather than compete with each other, I want to unite us behind our shared visions and mutual goals,” she stated.
Article content
“So today, I am announcing that I will be ending my campaign to be leader of the Alberta NDP.”
She wrote that all leadership candidates received a recent update on membership sales, the first since Nenshi entered the race, and claimed it showed his sizeable bump in membership sales.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment and invites so many more people into our movement,” she said in endorsing the former mayor.
She went on to state that dropping out from the race was not an easy decision to make, and thanked her family, campaign team, and supporters for their efforts.
“We made a deliberate choice to lead with hope and optimism on our campaign because that’s what Albertans told us – loud and clear,” she said.
“I have no doubt that our vision will be a north star within the Alberta NDP for years to come.”
Pancholi had drawn endorsements from fellow MLAs Nagwan Al-Guneid, Rhiannon Hoyle, and Marie Renaud.
She is the second candidate to withdraw from the race after entering, joining Edmonton-City Centre MLA David Shepherd who stepped away shortly after the race began, citing health reasons.
Article content
There are now five candidate vying to replace outgoing leader Rachel Notley, with campaigns being open since Feb. 5.
Those include three current MLAs: former justice minister Kathleen Ganley, former health minister Sarah Hoffman, and Edmonton-Rutherford MLA Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse.
Nenshi formally joined the race on March 11.
And, labour leader Gil McGowan is also seeking the position.
The next key date in the race is April 22 which is the deadline to become a party member in order to vote in the leadership race.
Debates between the leadership candidates are scheduled for April 25 in Lethbridge, May 11 in Calgary, and June 2 in Edmonton.
The winner will be announced at a showcase event in Calgary on June 22.
Recommended from Editorial
Share this article in your social network
