Patrick Brown's disqualification may shake up Conservative leadership vote: analyst

The recent disqualification of Patrick Brown has forced a recalibration of the Conservative Party leadership race, as other campaigns seek votes from Brown’s supporters.

“I think a lot of people who intended to vote for Patrick Brown will end up sitting it out,” Lori Turnbull, political analyst and professor of political science at Dalhousie University, told CTV News Channel Saturday night.

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“But it does provide an opportunity for people like Jean Charest or people like Scott Aitchineon, who identify with more of a centrist, moderate side of conservatism in Canada, to say, ‘Okay, look — some of the people who were looking to support Patrick Brown might find a reason to support me.”

Patrick Brown was recently ejected from the race after allegations arose that he broke financing rules. His name, however, is still on the current ballot, opening questions about verification processes for votes counted towards candidates who have been disqualified from election races.

“What I can understand at this point is that if there are ballots cast for Patrick Brown, they will be discarded and they will be counted in terms of second preference if the person votes down the ballot,” Turnbull explained.

“But that would be an interesting thing to see: to what extent do people actually indicate preferences down ballot? Not just for Patrick Brown, but for anybody.”

But the next few months, she said, might entail some political adjustments in the party.

“One of the conversations now is, are they going to have another debate to give an opportunity about what people want to do going into their final decision?” Turnbull said.

“It’s complicated, because most people have already decided who they want to vote for at this point.”

Ballots for the leadership election have already started to ship out to members. The new leader will be announced on Sept. 10.

Watch the full video with Lori Turnbull at the top of this article.