There are times when slow and steady may win the race. But that’s not always a good thing when it comes to political leadership. Ontario has been profoundly shaped by premiers who were once dark horse political candidates but became transformational premiers. In contrast, recent years provide an example of the leadership of a former front runner.
Doug Ford became Ontario Conservative leader in a race he led wire to wire with a cautious campaign. He’s been basking in the winner’s circle ever since. Can you name a single meaningful initiative after eight years in office?
Compare Ford’s record to the legacy of another Conservative premier: Mike Harris. I may not be a fan myself, but Harris is remembered as a party icon who delivered fundamental change. Though hard to believe now, he was once a dark horse early in his 1990 leadership bid. Many in the Toronto media dismissed him as the “former golf pro from North Bay”. At first, the party establishment also favoured more experienced political veterans before Harris won on the first ballot.
In another example, Ontarians woke up on December 1, 1996, with a single question on everyone’s mind: Who the heck is Dalton McGuinty? A wild Saturday night at Maple Leaf Gardens extended into Sunday morning and, after five ballots, produced an unexpected winner. McGuinty had finished fourth on the first ballot. But looking back, McGuinty’s legacy includes establishing the Greenbelt, closing coal-fired power generation and reforming public education in ways that The Economist magazine favourably referred to as “the Ontario example.”
There are few political similarities between McGuinty and Harris, but you can say this about both: not a day in government was ever taken for granted. The former dark horse often maintains their relentless spirit for as long as they serve in office. They often become the leader a party didn’t know it needed, connecting with key voters at a particular moment, in ways no one saw coming.
These political lessons are worth considering in the current Ontario Liberal leadership race, which has its dark horse candidates: Dylan Marando and Eric Lombardi.
In media stories, they are often grouped together as such. But they are very different candidates. Lombardi (32) is focused primarily on the housing market, and advocates for private-sector health care delivery. So, I’m supporting Marando for his broader experience within Liberal provincial and federal governments as a policy leader.
You probably don’t know Dylan Marando’s name. You may support another candidate or even another party. But we should all celebrate a 38-year-old who wants to step forward and lead at a time when young voters are looking for hope and reasons to believe in the political process.
Many of his arguments begin with “you won’t often hear a Liberal say this, but …” because he’s building a movement that goes beyond the old left-right boundaries and is unashamedly optimistic about Ontario’s economic future.
Touring the province in a weathered but trusty Subaru, including 6,000 kilometres driving all 12 northern Ontario ridings while camping in provincial parks, has earned Marando a growing social media following. His energetic, digital-first campaign is focused on people and ideas. It’s setting a tone for the race that, in my opinion, the more established candidates are now striving to emulate.
Marando is unabashedly calling for a new deal for younger Ontarians, among other policies aimed at renewing the promise of Ontario. You don’t hear the established front runners willing to go there. But we know that a positive, inclusive conversation is needed.
Having observed Ontario politics for decades, I think dark horses become transformational leaders because people of different age and life experience feel comfortable telling their story to that person. Those voices continue to resonate in the minds of the dark horse who later takes office as premier.
Leadership races are about party renewal. The dark horse brings people out of their seats. Their very presence makes people believe in possibilities. And sometimes, by putting in the hard work, the dark horse wins by a nose. And as Ontario’s political history shows, that dark horse may go on to become a premier who takes nothing for granted and keeps charging forward.
Chris Ballard is a former MPP for Newmarket-Aurora and served as Minister of Housing and Minister of the Environment and Climate Change in the Kathleen Wynne government
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