Jason Stephan handily won the Red Deer-South UCP nomination race in a vote held at Living Stones Church on Saturday.
Stephan, who was elected to the Alberta Legislature in 2019, received 71.7 per cent of the votes cast and beat Adele Poratto who also ran for nomination in 2019.
Stephan received 591 votes compared to 233 for Poratto, a local entrepreneur and educator.
Stephan, a lawyer and chartered accountant, said a steady stream of UCP members turned out to vote despite the snowy, cold weather.
“The more people who vote the better. I’m glad I saw that in the nomination event,” said Stephan who called the nomination event unifying.
He said it’s important to have a fair and open nomination process to ensure accountability for individual MLAs. Now the focus will be on gathering strength for the provincial election that will be held in just a few months on May 29.
Related:
Adriana LaGrange fends off Red Deer-North nomination challenge
Red Deer-North MLA and Education Minister Adriana LaGrange won her nomination race which was held last August.
She took 57.7 per cent of the votes, or 290 votes, compared to Andrew Clews, an anti-vaccine mandate activist, who received ’s 212 votes.
LaGrange was also first elected in 2019.
Related:
Danielle Smith’s election win ‘revitalizes’ UCP, says Red Deer-South MLA
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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