Ignatieff, Kennedy racking up early support of other politiciansTwo federal Liberal leadership candidates lead pack when it comes to endorsementsKAREN HOWLETT AND CAMPBELL CLARK
TORONTO and OTTAWA -- With more than six months to go before the federal Liberal leadership convention, Toronto MP Michael Ignatieff and former Ontario education minister Gerard Kennedy have taken early leads in lining up support from other elected politicians.
Mr. Kennedy has the backing of 24 of the 70 Liberal MPPs in Ontario, although not all of them are ready to go public, said his spokeswoman, Amanda Alvaro. That is in addition to 12 members of Parliament who say they will vote for him in December. The sizable backing for the former Toronto MPP in his old stomping grounds is surprising, because his supporters have kept a low profile.
Mr. Ignatieff, meanwhile, has racked up endorsements from almost a quarter of the federal Liberal caucus, or 24 of the party's 102 MPs.
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Mr. Ignatieff has also signed up MPs with crucial organizing networks, such as Denis Coderre, Pablo Rodriguez, and Marcel Proulx in Quebec, and MPs from seven provinces, including several caucus heavyweights.
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