The 2008 Alberta Liberal leadership election was held on December 12, 2008, to select a leader of the Alberta Liberal Party.[1] Incumbent leader Kevin Taft announced his resignation June 2008, in the wake of the March provincial election in which the Liberals lost seven of their sixteen seats.[2]
Candidates
Candidates had until September 30 to file nomination papers.[1] Three candidates announced their intentions to run:
Edmonton McClung from 2004 until 2008, when he was defeated in his re-election attempt by David Xiao.[2]
House Leader, had been widely expected to run but in August announced that she would not do so, citing the financial cost of a candidacy. She said that she would not be endorsing a candidate.[4] Other Liberals to publicly decline to run included Calgary mayor Dave Bronconnier and former Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, both of whom announced their intentions immediately following Taft's resignation,[5] and former Edmonton-Rutherford MLA Rick Miller, who expressed concern that, with the next provincial election presumably so far off, he wouldn't have a seat in the legislature for three and a half years after being elected leader.[3]
Results
David Swann was elected leader of the Alberta Liberal Party on the first ballot, receiving more than half of the total votes cast.[6]