Tim Hudak is seen by his supporters as the political heir to Mike Harris.Yvonne Berg
Last Wednesday evening, federal cabinet minister John Baird was at a cocktail reception at the Toronto home of construction-industry executive John Beck.
Mr. Baird was not there on official government business. He was there to introduce a couple dozen home builders to Tim Hudak, a contender for the leadership of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives.
Mr. Baird has known Mr. Hudak since 1995, when they began their political careers together as the two youngest members of former Ontario premier Mike Harris's caucus.
"He's a common sense Conservative, someone who knows what it takes to win elections, someone who can reach out to voters in rural Ontario, suburban Ontario and in urban Canada," Mr. Baird said in an interview.
Former members of the Harris Common Sense Revolution - including Mr. Harris himself - have come out in force to endorse Mr. Hudak as the man who can lead the party back to its glory days. They have Mr. Hudak following the same carefully orchestrated campaign that saw the Tories under Mr. Harris win back-to-back majorities.
Mr. Hudak, 41, is right of centre, in the mould of his political mentor. He presents himself as a hard-working family man who understands the hopes and dreams of middle-class voters. And just like Mr. Harris, he is always on message, to the point where all of his speeches and media scrums sound overly scripted.
Political observers say it is not clear whether the formula that worked in the Harris era would have broad appeal to voters today.
Mr. Harris's small-c conservative policies were phenomenally successful in 1995 because voters were in the mood for change, said Strategic Counsel pollster Tim Woolstencroft.
"He resonated big time," he said.
The province was just emerging from a recession, and the then-New Democratic government's economic policies had alienated many voters. The Liberals were viewed as too NDP-light, Mr. Woolstencroft said.
Today, however, the Tory party is at a crossroads. It has been divided since Mr. Harris left politics. Former leader John Tory did not succeed in differentiating the party from the governing Liberals with his moderate, middle-of-the-road policies. Whoever wins the leadership of the party at Saturday's convention in Markham will face a big challenge in the 2011 election trying to supplant a party that governs from the centre, observers say.
Mr. Hudak essentially is in a three-way race against Christine Elliott, 53, and Frank Klees, 58. Randy Hillier, 51, is expected to drop out after the first ballot.
It has been a bitterly fought campaign, one that has seen the candidates divided over Mr. Hudak's pledge to abolish the Human Rights Tribunal. Both Ms. Elliott and Mr. Klees have warned that that could be as divisive as the controversial religious-schools initiative that may have cost the party the past election.
In a recent interview in his Queen's Park office, Mr. Hudak said he has no regrets about adopting a policy first introduced by Mr. Hillier.
"This comes from the grassroots," he said. "I believe that PC members want to see a leader who will stand on conservative principles that reflect the mainstream values of families across this province."
Mr. Hudak learned these principles after entering politics at the age of 27. He said he and Mr. Baird were among a group of young MPPs that Mr. Harris took under his wing. Mr. Hudak was appointed vice-chairman of the legislature's finance committee and then parliamentary assistant to the health minister. In 1999, he got his first cabinet post.
"I guess my work caught the eye of the Premier," he said.
Mr. Hudak went into the leadership race as the perceived front-runner. Not surprisingly, he is confident he will cross the finish line in first place tomorrow.
"I do believe our message of principled Conservative leadership is resonating," he said.
Karen Howlett