Doug Ford considering a run for Ontario PC leadership: reports

On the heels of his failed Toronto mayoral bid, Doug Ford is hinting at a possible run for provincial politics as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.

Coming off a strong second-place showing in the Toronto mayoral race, Ford reportedly said he’s considering keeping his campaign team together to run for the leadership position, adding that he has a head-start on the competition because of his six-week-long go for the mayor’s job.

Ford dominated Etobicoke and Scarborough in the mayoral election, getting more than 330,000 ballots citywide.

Former PC Leader Tim Hudak declined to comment on Ford’s ‘in-your-face’ political style, but he applauded his performance in the race for mayor.

“I think he had a very successful campaign. He probably defied a lot of expectations,” said Hudak. “Doug ran a hell of a campaign. He’s a talent. We’ll see what he decides to do next.”

Some conservatives say they would support a Ford bid because they think he can attract new party membership from the GTA.

Ford has said that he’s the only person who can topple Kathleen Wynne and the liberals in an election.

Ottawa-area MPP Lisa MacLeod, who is also running for the leadership, rejects that comment.

“I’ve been re-elected four times, with the highest vote total in Ontario in one of those elections,” said McLeod. “I’m excited about the opportunity to renew our party. I’ll stack my winnabilty up against anybody else’s any day.”

Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli and federal MP Patrick Brown are also in the running for the position.

Whitby-Oshawa MPP Christine Elliott, the wife of the late former federal finance minister Jim Flaherty, is currently seen as the frontrunner to lead the party.

Ford has yet to reveal when he would announce his candidacy.

The leadership will be decided in May 2015.

The deadline for entering the race, which requires a $75,000 entry fee plus a refundable $25,000 deposit, is Jan. 30.

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