Rob Clarke’s brief bid for the Saskatchewan Party leadership is at an end.
He has withdrawn from the race, and in a media release announced he is endorsing Ken Cheveldayoff for the leadership.
“For months now, Ken has been engaging old and new members in every corner of the province, including northern and First Nations communities,” Clarke said in a statement. “He is truly committed to building a bigger, better party that treats grassroots members with the respect they deserve, and I’m proud to lend him my support.”
The news release further stated that Clarke was leaving the race in order to “avoid a damaging vote-splitting scenario that could pave the way for a majority NDP government.”
Clarke had joined the Sask Party leadership contest in mid-November with a platform calling for change within the Sask Party, billing himself as the NDP’s “worst nightmare”.
But his late start meant that the former Conservative MP could only participate in two of the official leadership debates; he also had little opportunity to gain support in time for a Dec. 8 cutoff of party membership sales.
Clarke is the second Sask Party leadership candidate to exit the race: Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison had dropped out very early on in the contest and threw his support to Rosthern-Shellbrook MLA Scott Moe.
With Clarke gone, five candidates remain in the field: Cheveldayoff, Moe, Tina Beaudry-Mellor, Alanna Koch, and Gord Wyant. A new leader will be announced Jan. 27.
