The 2015 candidate for the Liberals in the Langley-Aldergrove riding is hoping to run again in the upcoming 2019 federal election.
Leon Jensen ran under the Liberal standard against incumbent Conservative MP Mark Warawa in 2019, and he’s announced he’s planning to run again.
“I think we have a great chance,” said Jensen.
The Liberals fortunes have bounced up and down over the past few years in the riding, which has been Warawa’s seat for the past 15 years.
In 2015, Warawa won with 45.63 per cent of the vote, while Jensen took 36.55 per cent for the Liberals.
That was up from 8.98 per cent in the 2011 result, when it was the NDP that took second place in the riding.
“I think we gained a lot of support that time around,” said Jensen.
Jensen has served as the riding association president for the past several years, but has stepped back from the position now that he’s running for the nomination as candidate.
No nomination vote has yet been scheduled for the riding, but Jensen is already out knocking on doors and talking to local voters.
Health care, housing, and homelessness are the key issues he’s hearing about, Jensen said.
He said the SNC-Lavalin affair hasn’t come up much with local residents.
The Liberal Party considers the local riding stronger than before, Jensen noted.
Those running as local candidates will have to receive 100 signatures from local party members in support before they can run, Jensen said.
In 2015, local nominees only needed 35 signatures to qualify for nominations.
“This time we’re strong enough,” said Jensen.
The election will be the first in the area without Warawa involved. The longtime MP has announced he’ll retire from the job after the end of his term. The Conservatives are currently in the middle of a nomination process.
