Local concerns BC Conservative Party will parachute candidate into the Vernon-Monashee riding

There are concerns about candidates in the BC Conservative Party, including the Vernon-Lumby riding, which is causing dissension among party members.

Rumours have been swirling for some time that the party plans to parachute Kevin Kraft into the Vernon-Lumby contest for the October provincial election.

Last June, Kraft, who is the vice-chair of the Central Okanagan Regional District and a Lake Country resident, announced he would be seeking the federal Conservative Party of Canada nomination for the Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee riding.

His campaign page has since been removed, although his Linkedin profile still says he is running for the position.

When contacted by Castanet via social media, Kraft did not confirm or deny he was planning to run in the North Okanagan riding.

Scott Anderson has been involved with the BCCP for years and was the interim leader for two years. Anderson has officially announced he is running for the Conservative Party of Canada nomination in the federal Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee riding, but has also said he would be willing to run for the provincial riding out of concerns there would be no local BCCP candidate.

“I put my name in because it looked to me like there were no candidates,” said Anderson, adding he would forego the federal nomination “if absolutely necessary.”

“I put my name in as sort of a stop gap that I'm willing to do this if they need it. I am not actively pursuing it, but I just don't want to see the party make a mistake and shoot themselves in the foot.”

Anderson admitting he was “surprised” to hear about the possibility that Kraft would be “dropping in” to the provincial riding.

He said Kraft seems like a nice guy, but has never been through an election and lacks experience in the world of politics.

The situation has the potential to create a feeling of instability among the BCCP. Anderson said; “there is always that danger, but I think there is more danger in putting the wrong candidate in place.”

Anderson said if the party does bring a candidate in from another riding, “it smacks of desperation and I don't think the party is in a position" where that needs to be done.

Castanet has reached out to former Vernon-Lumby riding president Karen Christian who resigned her post last week, according to the Vancouver Sun, and the BCCP for comment.

In February, Alexandria Wright was named the Kelowna-Mission candidate, but in early August, she was dropped by the party.

In an Aug. 9 story, the BC Conservatives said they booted Wright “after careful consideration of various factors related to campaign performance and conduct.”

Wright said it could be linked to her past activism against pollution coming from Sandher Fruit Packers. Wright also said BCCP leader John Rustad previously asked her to move to the Vernon riding “so that they could put in one of their buddies into my riding.”

“I said, ‘I don't live in Vernon.’ I really wouldn't feel right about doing that to my volunteers and my supporters,” she said.

Wright said she was offered $20,000 in campaign finance funds by the party if she moved ridings, but declined the offer.

Party leader John Rustad asked her to move to the Vernon-Lumby riding to make room for former BC Liberal leadership hopeful Gavin Dew and the $20,000 was offered to boost her campaign in the North Okanagan.

Soon after Wright was kicked out of the party, Gavin Dew was named the new candidate for the riding. Dew had previously thrown his hat into the political arena in 2022, running for leadership of the BC Liberal Party.

One person connected to the BCCP told Castanet appointing candidates is not democratic and there are concerns among party faithful about the handling of nominees in certain ridings.

Current NDP MLA Harwinder Sandhu has announced she will run for re-election and longtime Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton has secured the nomination for the BC United (formerly Liberal) Party.