Banman and Bhangu quit B.C. Conservative leadership race, throw support behind other candidates
Indo-Canadian Voice Banman and Bhangu quit B.C. Conservative leadership race, throw support behind other candidates posted by: Rattan MallBC Conservative MLAs Bruce Banman and Harman Bhangu have withdrawn from the B.C. Conservative leadership race and are supporting other candidates. Banman announced on X on Sunday, March 15: “Thank you to everyone who supported my decision to enter the BC Conservative leadership race. After careful reflection, I have decided to step back and endorse […] The post Banman and Bhangu quit B.C. Conservative leadership race, throw support behind other candidates first appeared on Indo-Canadian Voice.Indo-Canadian Voice
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BC Conservative MLAs Bruce Banman and Harman Bhangu have withdrawn from the B.C. Conservative leadership race and are supporting other candidates.
Banman announced on X on Sunday, March 15: “Thank you to everyone who supported my decision to enter the BC Conservative leadership race. After careful reflection, I have decided to step back and endorse Yuri Fulmer for leader.”
He added: “We need a fresh face who can bring new energy as our party grows. I believe Yuri can protect our party, defeat the NDP, and inspire confidence in BC’s future.”
Bhangu announced on Monday, March 16 on X: “Today I’m proud to endorse Caroline [Elliott] for Leader of the Conservative Party of BC. She shares our values, she can unite Conservatives, and she’s the only candidate who can defeat David Eby and the NDP. It’s time to stop the infighting.”
However, a Mainstreet Research poll shows that only MLA Peter Milobar could defeat the NDP under Premier David Eby.
As Milobar said in a press release on Monday: “In the poll, Milobar received support from 37.7% of voters, the highest level among all leadership candidates. This places Milobar 3.3 percentage points ahead of the next candidate, Iain Black. Notably, Caroline Elliott scored significantly lower than Milobar, earning just 32.9% of support among respondents.
“Based on these results, Mainstreet concluded that Milobar is the only candidate capable of delivering a majority in the legislature over the Eby government, projecting 53 seats for Milobar and the BC Conservatives compared to 38 for the BC NDP. By contrast, the other leadership candidates would each lead only narrow 46-45 minority outcomes over the NDP.”
Milobar added: “The poll also highlights Milobar’s comparatively lower undecided voter rate, suggesting he already commands broader support within the conservative coalition and is well positioned to lead the party.”
Milobar said the message from voters is clear. “If conservatives want to create jobs, repeal DRIPA, and grow the economy, we have to win a majority,” he added.
He said that achieving that goal will require a united party and expressed hope that “members will consider that reality when casting their ballots.”
Others still in the leadership race are former MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, businessman Warren Hamm and former president of the Pattison Food Group, Darrell Jones.
ACCORDING to “Key Insights” from the Mainstreet Research poll:
* NDP leads on current-leader provincial vote intention: With Trevor Halford as BC Conservative leader, the BC NDP leads across all reporting bases: 31.7% vs 32.5% (all voters); 36.2% vs 34.6% (including leaners); 38.6% vs 36.8% (decided voters only).
* All four BC Conservative leadership candidates lead the NDP among decided voters: Elliott (39.9% vs NDP 39.3%), Milobar (43.8% vs NDP 38.3%), Black (40.8% vs NDP 40.0%), and Findlay (40.2% vs NDP 39.9%) all lead among decided voters. Milobar holds the largest margin at 5.5 pts.
* Milobar scores highest among all voters and among decided voters: Milobar scores 37.7% among all voters — the highest BC Con total of the four leaders — and 43.8% among decided voters, a 5.5 pts lead over the NDP. His lower undecided rate suggests he mobilizes softer Conservative support more effectively.
* All leadership candidates would beat the NDP, only Milobar would secure a majority: While Elliott, Black and Findlay would each win one more seat than the NDP (46 vs 45), only Milobar would secure a clear majority against the NDP, projecting 53 Conservative seats to 38 NDP seats.
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