VANCOUVER — The field of candidates for the Conservative Party of British Columbia leadership has slimmed down to five, with contractor Warren Hamm suspending his campaign and throwing his support behind entrepreneur Yuri Fulmer ahead of the May 30 leadership vote..Hamm, one of the final six contenders, announced his decision Sunday, praising Fulmer as the candidate best positioned to safeguard the party’s conservative principles and prevent what he described as a potential “liberal takeover.”“Yuri is a true conservative, and he’s exactly who we need to protect this Party from a liberal takeover. Standing next to him on that debate stage sealed the deal for me. It’s clear that Yuri is the only candidate who has what it takes to protect this party, unite the right, and truly deliver for British Columbians as the next Premier of this great province,” Hamm said in a statement released by the Fulmer campaign.Hamm emphasized that the leadership contest is fundamentally about preserving the party’s distinct conservative identity and avoiding a repeat of the BC United experience.“This leadership race is about protecting our party from becoming BC United 2.0 and building a winning future for our province. Yuri is the only person who can do both, and that’s why I’m proud to endorse him today,” he added.Along with fellow departing candidate and Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, the Rossland-area contractor was the only other candidate in the race to publicly back Fulmer and MLA Dallas Brodie’s ‘Unite The Right Accord.’.“I’m incredibly grateful to receive Warren’s endorsement,” Fulmer stated. “His voice has been a welcome one in this leadership race, advocating for common sense Conservatism and a government that respects taxpayers. I’m honoured that he’ll now be joining our team and using his important voice and experience to help protect our Party and unite the right to defeat the NDP next election.”The development reduces the active field to five candidates: Fulmer, former federal Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, former BC Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black, political commentator Caroline Elliott, and Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, the only sitting legislator in the contest.Earlier in the race, several other hopefuls—including MLAs Bruce Banman and Harman Bhangu, as well as former Save-on-Foods executive Darrell Jones—had already exited. Jones and Bhangu both endorsed Elliott, while Banman also put his support behind Fulmer.The leadership vote is scheduled for May 30, 2026, with ballots sent to members beginning May 9. Membership sign-up will close shortly on April 18.Hamm’s move bolsters Fulmer’s position among members seeking a staunch conservative voice less associated with the former BC Liberal or BC United orbits. With less than two months until the vote, the remaining candidates are expected to intensify efforts to secure support from the party membership.
