Cambridge's Jim Karahalios running for federal Conservative leadership

Cambridge's Jim Karahalios is running for the federal Conservative leadership.

He announced his run Tuesday morning.

His website says he grew up working at a family fish and chip business and then went on to law school as well as completed a master's degree in civil engineering.

He says he worked as a lawyer, consultant and executive and co-owned "a small business in the health sector."

After an illness in his family, his website says he "put his career on hold."

CBC News requested comment from Karahalios on the leadership bid, but he did not immediately respond.

Ontario MP Erin O'Toole is also running to lead the party, as is Peter MacKay, who was an MP from 1997 to 2015.

The Conservative Party will pick their new leader on June 27.

Karahalios sues provincial party

Karahalios is married to Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios, who is a member of the Progressive Conservatives. In 2018, filed a lawsuit against the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party over alleged "ballot stuffing" in an election to become party president.

He alleges that cost him the 2018 election to his sole opponent, Brian Patterson.

The following year, Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios introduced her first private member's bill aimed at increasing transparency in internal political party elections.

Premier Doug Ford said initially the government did not support her private members bill but on Dec. 12, the government passed second reading.