With Leadership Vote Set, NDP Race is On

A wide field of potential successors to Jack Layton has already emerged, but who has the legs to make it to March 24?

The federal NDP decided on Friday to hold their next leadership vote on March 24, giving the ever-widening field of candidates a solid six months to work on their bids for the most sought-after political position in the country. The list of NDP MPs who've considered throwing their hats into the ring includes a handful of Quebecers – notably Thomas Mulcair, but also Francoise Boivin and Romeo Saganash, Ottawa's Paul Dewar, Manitoba MP Pat Martin, Vancouver stalwart Libby Davies, and party president Brian Topp, who could make his nomination official at a press conference today. The race to succeed Jack Layton as leader of both the NDP and official opposition is bound to be heated as the late-March vote approaches, and will surely test party unity just months after the bulk of the NDP's caucus were first elected to office.