CALGARY – The Wildrose Party is getting its shots in early.
Jim Prentice hasn’t formally thrown his hat in yet for the Progressive Conservative leadership race.
It’s expected the former Calgary MP and cabinet minister will make the announcement next month.
READ MORE: PC leadership race heats up, with reports Jim Prentice will run
The Wildrose Party, however, isn’t wasting time.
Leader Danielle Smith is speaking out about the mere prospect of Prentice as leader of the PCs.
She says the Tories’ problems are deep-seated and Prentice will go down with the ship.
“I’m not sure why anyone would want to take over captaining the Titanic after it has already hit the iceberg,” says Smith in a press conference Tuesday.
Prentice, now a star-candidate would be a front-runner in the PC leadership race.
There’s also speculation, if he wins, he will seek a by-election in the Calgary-Elbow constituency. That’s currently former premier, Alison Redford’s riding.
Redford is currently on leave and there is some uncertainty about her future.
Still, Calgary-Elbow voters have a mixed reaction to the idea of Prentice parachuting in.
Either way, political analysts agree, it will be an uphill battle for Prentice.
“He has a chance, it doesn’t mean he’ll win. It means he has a chance,” says Mount Royal University’s Duane Bratt.
“The PCs are at their lowest ebb in their 40-plus year dynasty. They’ve never been so low in the polls, they’ve never been so in debt, they’ve never been embroiled in as much internal turmoil as they are now.”
Prentice ran for MLA in the riding of Calgary-Mountain View 28 years ago.
He lost to the NDP’s Bob Hawkesworth.
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