Gary Mar took a big step toward becoming the next premier of Alberta Saturday, garnering a commanding lead on the first ballot of the Progressive Conservative leadership race, while Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert MLA Doug Horner placed third.
Mar had a total of 24,318 votes, a commanding lead but not enough for a first ballot victory. Behind him was Calgary-Elbow MLA and former justice minister Alison Redford with 11,147, while Horner's 8,648 were good enough for a third-place victory. All three will be on the second ballot, which will be contested Oct. 1.
Ted Morton finished in fourth place with 6,969, while Rick Orman's 6,010 votes were good enough for fourth place and Doug Griffiths took 2,445 votes and finished in last place.
Mar thanked all of the other candidates and congratulated them on a hard-fought campaign. Mar had a strong showing all across the province, finishing first or second in almost all of the polls.
“I believe that a Gary Mar government will do better at those things that matter the most to Albertans,” he said. “Today's results show that I can unite our party right across this province and it is more than a hope.”
Redford also thanked the other campaigns and said she was the best candidate to deliver the new Alberta people had told the party they want.
“I am the candidate that will deliver that change, change that Albertans have told us they want,” she said. “We know Alberta is at a crossroads. We are good, but we can be great. It will take imagination and courage.”
Horner was last to microphone an argued the province was poised for greatness that he could help deliver.
“I and my team want to build the Alberta of the future. We want to build the Alberta that you want,” he said. “I am really and truly grateful to live in a province that is the best jurisdiction in the world, and we will be the best jurisdiction in the world at the end of this race.”
Voter turnout in the race was much lower than in 2006, with 59,537 ballots cast this time around. The first ballot of the race that elected Ed Stelmach saw 97,000 votes cast and, on the second ballot, that rose to 144,000.
Locally, ridings leaned heavily toward Horner, as he claimed 329 votes in St. Albert, out ahead of Mar with 210, Redford with 90, Morton with 66, Orman at 25 and Griffiths finishing last with 17 votes.
Morton had the support of local MLA Ken Allred, but that did not seem to have a big impact on the results.
Horner's own riding of Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert leaned even more in his direction. At home, he took 550 votes, well ahead of Mar at 138, Redford at 90, Morton at 46, Griffiths 26 and Orman at 25.
Horner also took in big support from Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock, where he had the support of MLA and Legislative Assembly speaker Ken Kowalski. Horner garnered 438 votes, with Mar again his closest competitor with only 78. Morton took 60 votes, Redford had 43, Griffiths netted 37 and Orman had 24.
In Athabasca-Redwater, where MLA Jeff Johnson endorsed him, Horner had 441 votes, with Mar a distant second at 155, Redford in third at 104 and Morton (39), Griffiths (29) and Orman (26) rounding out the vote.
