Former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith would like some competitors in the UCP leadership race — namely former MLA Paul Hinman and Independent MLAs Todd Loewen and Drew Barnes..Smith launched her United Conservative Party leadership campaign virtually on Thursday, after Premier Jason Kenney announced he would resign Wednesday night..Smith said she texted the three former and current Albertan politicians in the last 24 hours and encouraged them to throw their name in the hat. It's the best way to get all the ideas on the table and ensure a robust leadership race, she said. .“I would love to see them all jump into the race because I think that would be really unifying," she told reporters via Zoom. "They all have a different vision for what the province should be and where we should go.".Hinman has been the leader of the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta since 2020. He ran in the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche byelection, which ultimately went to UCP's Brian Jean, who also said he will run for the leadership, however, Jean has not formally launched his campaign..Barnes said Thursday he's interested in returning to the UCP if his constituents want him back in the party. He didn't rule out leadership..Barnes and Loewen were both booted from the UCP caucus for their criticism of Kenney’s pandemic policies. The premier cited anger from COVID-19 and the need to unify and move past it as the reason for his resignation on Wednesday night..Smith agreed there’s much repair work to be done, and said she’d like the next UCP vote to be in-person..The UCP board changed Kenney’s review vote to a mail-in ballot just weeks ahead of the scheduled in-person vote in Red Deer. The process was riddled with allegations of voter fraud. Elections Alberta is investigating whether bulk memberships were improperly purchased using four credit cards..Smith said she’s spoken to a “dozen or more people” who didn’t receive their review ballots and has fielded questions about whether 9,000 ballots were destroyed..“We have to make sure that everybody feels that the result has integrity, and that everybody feels that their vote is counted,” she said..She said a minimum of eight polling stations should be available throughout the province in large centres, including Fort McMurray, Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge..Smith will be running in Livingston-Macleod, where she’s lived since 2011, and which is currently held by Roger Reid. Smith previously ran in Highwood, but the riding has since been redrawn..“I’m old fashioned,” Smith said. I feel like you should live in the riding that you represent.”
