EDMONTON — Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi has chosen to run in a Calgary riding for the 2027 election, claiming that he wants to serve the communities where he was raised, built his career, and currently resides. "I don't think it was a particularly well-kept political secret that I am from Calgary, and I grew up here," said Nenshi on Thursday when the Western Standard asked about his decision to run in a Calgary riding in 2027. "I've lived here. I've made my professional and political life here, and quite personally, to me, it's important that I represent the communities that I grew up in and have lived in for so very long.".On July 16, Nenshi declared he would leave his position in Edmonton-Strathcona after this term to run in Calgary during the 2027 election. Nenshi began his political career when he was elected as Calgary's mayor in 2010 and served for 11 years, before entering provincial politics by winning the Alberta NDP leadership race in 2024 and the Edmonton-Strathcona byelection in 2025. "So there's a personal piece to it that,” Nenshi said. “You know, after the next election, when, God willing, I am the premier, I would like to be a premier representing a Calgary riding and working, of course, for all Albertans.” .While the Alberta NDP announced Nenshi’s intentions over 15 months before the scheduled election, Nenshi said they have yet to decide which Calgary seat he will pursue because they are waiting for the results of the "gerrymandering electoral boundaries process." Edmonton-Strathcona has been the home ridding for the last three Alberta NDP leaders, and the party has controlled the district for 10 of the last 11 terms going back to 1986. Former journalist and public school board trustee Trisha Estabrooks announced her campaign for the nomination in the Alberta NDP stronghold riding on July 17, and Nenshi said he looks forward to seeing which other candidates join the race. "I understand there's already been someone who has expressed her interest," Nenshi said. "I anticipate there will be more, and I'm really looking forward to hanging out in the back and watching those debates."
