A new poll conducted by Clear Impact Strategy has found that a majority of BC Conservative members and prospective members are worried the party could become BC Liberals 2.0 depending on who becomes the next leader.Most also expressed concern that whoever wins the race might not "share conservative values."According to the poll, conducted among 578 current members in late January 2026, 80.7% said it was "very" or "somewhat important" that the BC Conservatives do not become like the BC Liberals / BC United. Nearly 65% said they have a negative or very negative impression.Of the 642 prospective members, 75% answered similarly, with 59.6% saying they see the now-defunct party in a negative light..Nearly all the candidates running to become the next leader of the party have ties to the BC Liberals / BC United in some form or other. A majority of members and prospective members, 65.5% and 59.9%, respectively, said they were concerned that the winner would not lead in accordance with conservative principles.When asked who they would choose as leader, 47.4% of members said they were "unsure." In the remaining 52.6%, the results were fairly evenly split.Businessman Yuri Fulmer got 20.5%, MLA Peter Milobar got 18.8%, MLA Sheldon Clare got 18.4%, political commentator Caroline Elliott got 17.1%, former Save-On-Foods president Darrell Jones got 16.7%, and ex-MLA Iain Black got 8.5%.Among prospective members, 51.9% were undecided. Of the remaining 48.1%, 27.9% chose Fulmer, 17.2% chose Jones, 16.7% chose Clare, 16.2% chose Milobar, 15.2% chose Elliott, and 6.9% chose Black.Former Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay was not included in the poll, and since it was conducted a number of other candidates have entered the race, including MLAs Harman Bhangu, Bruce Banman, and Steve Kooner, and contractor Warren Hamm.
