Doug Ford's provincial campaign to build off leadership race tactics
'When people saw him in action, the fears they might have had about him went away,' campaign manager says
Doug Ford's strategy going into the provincial campaign is expected to build off his leadership tactics, according to the man who just ran his successful campaign to lead the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.
Keeping things simple and focusing on grassroots voters were major building blocks of his approach, and those steps will likely be included moving forward from the PC leadership convention into the election, Michael Diamond told The House.
"You can't lose touch with your grassroots," he said.
The six-week race was chaotic and fast-paced, something Diamond said presented huge logistical problems. The provincial election affords almost double the time to plan and campaign.
Though the campaign has yet to really begin, the polls favour the PCs to sweep the legislature.
A recent analysis showed the Liberals would secure three to 25 seats, while Ford's party could win between 78 and 98.
Wynne roadblock in path to victory
But there's at least one big challenge standing between Ford and the top job at Queen's Park: Kathleen Wynne, the current premier.
"She beat the odds," Diamond said, speaking about the last provincial election.
"You never want to count someone who's a fierce competitor out."
Focusing on smaller, more isolated ridings while on his leadership tour gave Ford an edge, Diamond said.
Getting him to the people who were on the fence or opposed to his leadership allowed them to form fresh opinions of him, he added.
"When people saw him in action, the fears they might have had about him went away."
Combating pre-existing perceptions of the Ford family will continue to be a challenge in the provincial election.
Looking ahead, Diamond said it will interesting to see the dynamics play out in ridings outside of the traditional focus — places that aren't Toronto.
Policies remain unclear
As for Ford's platform, there are still few details.
All Diamond said was that more will be revealed as the election draws closer. However, Ford has expressed that the People's Guarantee, the existing PC platform, is too long.
"You need to talk about issues that people are worried about, not issues that the political elites are concerned about," Diamond explained.
No matter Ford's approach to policy, the PCs will enter the election campaign with a large buffer in the polls.
While Diamond was reluctant to predict how many seats the PCs would take, he did say Ford will likely shake up the race.
"His leadership might actually change the map a bit."