Toronto mayoral candidate Doug Ford says he is considering a run for the leadership of the Ontario PC Party.
Sources tell CP24 that Ford will be meeting with possible donors, staff, and supporters today and speaking to CP24 on Sunday, Ford said he could have an answer as early as Monday.
The news comes after Patrick Brown resigned as the party’s leader following sexual misconduct allegations, which Brown strongly denies.
Tory finance critic Vic Fedeli has been selected as interim leader, however, the party’s executive have voted to hold a leadership race and select the new head of the party sometime before March.
Other possible leadership candidates include Christine Elliot, who was the runner-up in the last leadership race, and Caroline Mulroney, the daughter of former prime minister Brian Mulroney.
Fedeli has also said he intends to run for permanent leadership.
This is not the first time Ford has considered running for the leadership. In 2014, Ford said that he was considering a run in the 2015 race but ultimately decided not to move forward as a candidate.
In a Forum Research poll released after Brown’s resignation, 12 per cent of respondents said they would put their support behind Christine Elliot, while 11 per cent said they would support Ford as the next leader of the party.
In September, Ford announced he would be challenging John Tory for the mayor’s seat in this year’s municipal election and at an event on Sunday, Tory said he would wish Ford well in whatever political endeavor he chooses to pursue.
“I have trouble keeping up with his ambitions but let’s just leave it at this, he’ll do what he does and I’m going to do what I do, which is to continue to do my job here,” Tory said.
When asked if he has considered running for the leadership, Tory said he has had a number of people approach him on the subject.
“I have a job here that is keeping me fully occupied and you know there is so much to do here in the City of Toronto,” he said. “This is the economic engine of Ontario, this is the economic engine of Canada.”
-With files from The Canadian Press
