An already tumultuous race to select a new leader for Alberta’s Progressive Conservative (PC) Party took another turn as Stephen Khan announced he was ending his campaign and throwing his support behind Richard Starke on Thursday night.
Just hours earlier, Starke announced that he hoped to work with the party’s conservative rivals in the Wildrose Party.
READ MORE: Alberta PC leadership candidate Richard Starke wants PCs and Wildrose to work together
Watch below: Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Richard Starke announces plan to have the PCs and Wildrose parties work together to defeat the NDP government. Julia Wong reports.
Khan said in a release that he was leaving because the campaign had become hostile. His departure from the race came just over two months after Sandra Jansen dropped out of the race and joined the Alberta NDP, alleging a “hostile takeover” within the PC Party.
READ MORE: Sandra Jansen withdraws from Alberta PC leadership race citing ‘hostile takeover’
Watch below: In November 2016, Tracy Nagai filed this report as two women running in the PC leadership race in Alberta pulled out.
“I was confident that this race would be one of ideas and hope for Alberta’s future and I expected it to be a well-run and principled campaign,” Khan’s statement said. “Instead, it has devolved into vitriol, anger and division. As such, I can no longer participate in this race in good conscience, nor ask my family, volunteers and supporters to do the same on my behalf.
“We have seen the reputation of the PC Party damaged so badly over the course of this campaign that our credibility may be beyond repair.”
Khan also said he was concerned by harassment and threats endured by various people in the party.
READ MORE: Investigation into PC Alberta harassment finds ‘no direct evidence’ that campaigns were targeted
Like Jansen, he said he believed “there is no room in this race for competing ideas” and that his party had seen “more anger and division in the last three months than in the half-century legacy of this party.”
The St. Albert MLA first joined the leadership race in November and at the time said there was a need to rebuild trust on the constituency level between the party and party officials, which he said would help rebuild the party after its devastating loss to the NDP in 2015.
“In November, I was incredibly proud to launch my modern conservative movement and run for leader of the Progressive Conservative Party,” Khan said in Thursday’s statement. “My team of supporters and I were excited to join a race based on ideas, values and a vision the future of our party and province.
“As I step down, I know other candidates in this leadership race will carry on the fight. I will remain a proud member and volunteer with the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta. Going forward, I will put my support behind Richard Starke and I would ask my supporters to do the same.”
Aside from Khan and Jansen, Donna Kennedy-Glans also withdrew her leadership bid in November. At the time, she said she was sorry if Jansen dealt with bullying or harassment during her campaign, but it wasn’t something she faced.
READ MORE: 2nd female Alberta PC Party member to withdraw said she didn’t face harassment
Three candidates remain in the running to become leader: Starke, Jason Kenney and Byron Nelson.
Kenney has campaigned on a pledge to try to unite Alberta’s conservative parties: the Wildrose and the PCs. On Thursday afternoon, just hours after Starke held a press conference to say he hoped to work together with the Wildrose but without officially merging the two parties, Wildrose Leader Brian Jean released a video in which he announced conservatives in the province should “pursue unity.”
“I am announcing today, that if our members approve a unity agreement with the PC Party, I am prepared to stand down as leader of the Wildrose and to seek the leadership of our single, principled, conservative party in a race to be conducted this summer,” he said.
READ MORE: Wildrose’s Brian Jean ‘prepared to step down’ and run for a merged Alberta conservative party
Watch below: With PC leadership candidate Jason Kenney campaigning on a platform to merge his party with the Wildrose, there has been growing talk about the potential to unite-the-right in Alberta politics. On Thursday, Wildrose leader Brian Jean signalled he is now open to the idea after being cool to merger talks earlier. Fletcher Kent reports.
Both of Alberta’s conservative parties have faced upheaval in recent years.
In December 2014, then-Wildrose leader Danielle Smith crossed the floor to join the PCs and took eight members of her former party with her. The move was met with a public outcry as many voters said they felt the move was a betrayal.
READ MORE: Danielle Smith says in hindsight floor cross was ‘very, very naive’
In May 2015, the Progressive Conservative Party’s 44-year-reign over Alberta came to an end when it was defeated by Rachel Notley and the NDP in the provincial election.
READ MORE: Orange crush: NDP stomps out 44-year PC dynasty, Jim Prentice resigns
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta will vote to elect a permanent leader on March 18 in Calgary.
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