2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election

2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election

March 10, 2018
 
Candidate Doug Ford Christine Elliott
Riding Seeking nomination in Etobicoke North N/A
Final ballot points 6,202
(50.62%)
6,049
(49.38%)
Final ballot votes 30,041
(48.26%)
32,202
(51.74%)
First ballot points 4,091
(33.35%)
4,187
(34.13%)
First ballot votes 20,363
(31.80%)
23,237
(36.28%)

 
Candidate Caroline Mulroney Tanya Granic Allen
Riding Candidate for York—Simcoe N/A
Final ballot points Eliminated Eliminated
Final ballot votes Eliminated Eliminated
First ballot points 2,107
(17.18%)
1,882
(15.34%)
First ballot votes 11,099
(17.33%)
9,344
(14.60%)

Top Map: Results of the first round by plurality of points. Bottom Map: Results of the 3rd (final) round by plurality of points

Leader before election

Vic Fedeli (interim)

Elected Leader

Doug Ford

The 2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election was held on March 10, 2018, due to the resignation of party leader Patrick Brown on January 25, 2018, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Winner Doug Ford narrowly defeated runner-up Christine Elliott on the third ballot with 50.6% of allocated points.

The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election was scheduled for 3 months before the 2018 provincial election scheduled for June 7. It came after a turbulent year of disputed and allegedly fraudulent nominations contests across the province for local PC candidates. In two of these contests; Ottawa West—Nepean and Scarborough Centre the nominations were overturned after Brown's resignation and Brown's own nomination in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte was cancelled. At the time of the leadership election Newmarket—Aurora and five others remained under active investigation by the party and Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas remained under police investigation.

According to Article 23.1 of the PC party constitution, when there is a vacancy in the position of leader, the party caucus chooses an interim leader to serve until a new leader is elected in a leadership election, which must be held within 18 months of the vacancy occurring, and in which all party members can vote. Party president Rick Dykstra told the media on January 25 that "a leadership election will take place at such time as the PC party shall determine in its discretion". The party executive met on January 26, 2018, following the caucus election, to determine whether to have a leadership election before the provincial election, and if so, how it would proceed, or whether to have the interim leader lead the party into the election, and called the leadership election for March 2018.