Should anyone need further proof that Naheed Nenshi is the frontrunner to replace Rachel Notley as leader of the Alberta NDP, they need only look at his campaign stop in Okotoks last week.
The former Calgary mayor attracted a crowd of more than 100 to the Crystal Shores Beach House last Wednesday as part of a 'Meet the Candidates' series hosted by the local constituency association, which is a pretty decent turnout given it was an NDP gathering in the conservative stronghold of Highwood.
Put another way, Nenshi’s stop drew more people than the three previous events in the series combined, which welcomed Kathleen Ganley, Sarah Hoffman and former candidate Rakhi Pancholi, who exited the race to join Nenshi's campaign shortly after her visit.
Credited for dramatically increasing NDP membership since joining the race, Nenshi is not your typical New Democrat, which just might be his greatest strength, presuming, of course, he can convince party members that a relative outsider is the right leader to take them back to the promised land.
There’s little doubt that Nenshi casts a larger net than any of his leadership foes, a fact that was evidenced by last week’s turnout. It had largely been the same group of party faithful at each of the first three events in the Highwood series, yet when the former Calgary mayor came to town, the crowd more than tripled.
Now, we're only talking about 70 or 80 additional folks, so temper those expectations, but it’s a sure sign that his appeal goes well beyond the hardcore types, which is exactly what the party needs if it’s going to topple Danielle Smith’s United Conservatives three years from now.
Any NDP leader faces a daunting challenge to claim electoral victory in Alberta, but one seen as palatable by moderate conservatives most definitely has a leg up.
