A career full of controversy caught up to Rob AndersSaturday night, as the 17-year MP lost the Conservative nomination in CalgarySignal Hill to former provincial cabinet minister Ron Liepert.
Anders had framed the campaign as a “battle for the soul ofthe Conservative party,” depicting himself as a true blue conservative under seige by squishy Red Torieswho had signed up party outsiders to knock him off.
But despite endorsements of Anders by Prime Minister StephenHarper and Calgary cabinet heavyweight Jason Kenney, Liepert’s message that thearea deserved a better MP resonated with Conservative voters weary of Anders’shoot from the lip style.
"This is a real victory for the people of Calgarysignal Hill," said the 64-year-old Liepert, who served in the Progressive Conservative cabinets of Ed Stelmach.
“We were labelled a rump within the party. Well I think we’ve shown this is not a rump. This is the mainstream Conservatives of Signal Hill expressing their views going forward.”
Outside Hexters bar in Bowness, Anders said he was proud of his campaign. “We fought the good fight,” the MP said as a group of supporters chanted his name.
Anders brushed off a question on whether he would seek the Conservative nomination in another riding.
The fight for the Tory nomination in Calgary Signal Hill – anew riding created through redistribution – had been characterized by oneobserver as a political “knife fight.”
Anders accused Liepert of enlisting Liberals and NewDemocrats to take him out, though his promise to unmask so-called temporaryTories hit a bump when he had to apologize for misidentifying a former Liberalcandidate as having joined the Tories.
Anders was also reprimanded by the Conservative party brassfor misleading phone calls from volunteers, while he threatened to sue Liepertover his allegations about the calls.
Several rank and file Conservatives said they were lookingfor change in the voting booth, which was not a vote for Liepert so much as itwas a vote against Anders.
Sylvia Farrant hurried from a swim meet to vote at theCalgary French and International School, where the balloting took place.
She said she is no fan of Liepert but he was by far “thelesser of two evils.”
“I’ve been ashamed of our MP for some of the things he’sdone,” she said of Anders.
Farrant said she likes Harper but had previously let her Conservative membership lapse out ofunhappiness with Anders.
Calgary Tory MP Michelle Rempel said earlier this week thatthe winner of the Calgary Signal Hill contest had to reach out to supporters ofthe other side.
“At the end of the day, we’re all Conservatives. It’s thetoughest thing in politics, a fight within the family ... whoever thesuccessful candidate is in any nomination, your job is to go and smooth feathersand bring people into the tent,” said Rempel, who noted that open nominationsare ultimately healthy for the Conservative Party.
The bad blood between Anders and Liepert goes back severalyears.
Anders – a staunch social and fiscal conservative – was firstelected as a Reform MP in the riding of Calgary West in 1997 and has beenre-elected under the Canadian Alliance and Conservative banners five times.
Rob Anders Loses Conservative Nomination in Calgary Signal Hill
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Originally Posted by ThePenIsMightier
