To no one’s surprise, Andrea Horwath was anointed as the NDP candidate in Hamilton Centre Sunday.
This will be Horwath’s third election as leader of the NDP and some pundits are suggesting that this is a make-it or break-it election for her.
In spite of the fact that she scores well as the most likeable party leader in provincial polling, it hasn’t really translated into success at election time.
There are suggestions that the NDP’s underwhelming performance has fanned the flames of discontent within the party and some lay the blame squarely on the leader.
The NDP has historically shown a lot more patience with their leaders than the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives, but that may be changing.
When Thomas Mulcair failed miserably in the last federal election, the party dropped him like a bad habit.
The Ontario NDP is desperate to get back in the winner’s circle ever since they were banished to political purgatory in 1995.
Hope springs eternal for all political parties at election time and the mood for some kind of change this year is encouraging for all of them.
But the challenge for Horwath in this election is clear.
Winning the nomination in her own riding was the easy part; trying to convert her likeability into electability will be a much more daunting task.
Bill Kelly is the host of Bill Kelly Show on AM 900 CHML and a commentator for Global News
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