Former long-time Thompson MLA Steve Ashton came up short in his third bid to become leader of the Manitoba NDP party Sept. 16, collecting slightly more than a quarter of the delegates' votes, with the remaining share going to rookie Fort Rouge MLA Wab Kinew, who now assumes leadership of the party.
Kinew received 728 votes to 253 for Ashton. He takes over from Flor Marcelino, who has served as interim leader since May 2016, when former leader and premier Greg Selinger resigned the position.
"It's been a humbling day," said Kinew in a press release. "With all my heart I want to thank New Democrats for the trust they've placed in me. I will work every day to live up to that trust, and do everyone proud. The road ahead will be tough, but with the support of my team and my family, we will begin this new era for the NDP with courage and dedication to standing up for all Manitobans."
Ashton ran for the leadership twice before, losing to Selinger both times, first in 2009 when Gary Doer resigned and again in 2015 when a cabinet revolt saw several high-profile NDP MLAs, not including Ashton, question Selinger's leadership.
Selinger took about two-thirds of the delegates to beat Ashton in 2009. Six years later, Ashton finished third on the first ballot behind Selinger and Theresa Oswald and didn't throw his support behind either of the two remaining candidates.
The 2017 leadership campaign boosted party membership to over 10,000 and attracted 948 delegates to the convention, the party said.
