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Craig Chandler

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Craig B. Chandler is a Canadian businessman, lobbyist, and political activist. He is co-founder and CEO of the Progressive Group for Independent Business (PGIB).[1] He was a candidate at the federal 2003 Progressive Conservative leadership convention, a candidate for Member of Parliament in Ontario, candidate for Member of the Legislative Assembly in Alberta, and candidate for Ward 12 City Councillor in Calgary, Alberta.[2]

Political career

Early political experience

As an undergraduate at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in the late 1980s, Chandler joined the Reform Party of Canada, where he was active as an organizer and fund-raiser.[3] In the 1993 federal election, Chandler ran as a Reform Party candidate in the riding of Hamilton Mountain, at the age of 23 finishing in a distant second place with 10,297 votes, behind Liberal incumbent Beth Phinney, who received 27,218.

Chandler moved to Alberta in 1995. He ran in the 1997 provincial election as a candidate for the Social Credit Party of Alberta in the riding of Calgary West, finishing with 1,100 votes, or 7.5% of the electorate.[4]

In 2000, Chandler's Progressive Group for Independent Business (PGIB) supported the creation of the Canadian Alliance. In 2002, Chandler[5] and the PGIB backed Stephen Harper's successful bid for the leadership of the Alliance.[6]

Federal politics

In 2003, Chandler joined the Progressive Conservative Party and became a candidate for the party's leadership, running on a platform of creating a coalition between the PC and Alliance party caucuses. He withdrew prior to voting and endorsed Calgary lawyer Jim Prentice, who also supported cooperation between the parties.

At the end of his speech Chandler was complimentary of the leadership qualities of his competitors David Orchard and Scott Brison, before endorsing and pledging support to Calgary lawyer Jim Prentice's leadership bid to the astonishment of many delegates in attendance.[7]

Chandler admitted in The Globe and Mail and the National Post (May 29, 2003) that he had never tried to seriously contest the leadership of the PC Party, but had instead served as a voice for the Progressive Group for Independent Business (PGIB) and their United Alternative efforts. PGIB donated $250,000 to Chandler's bid.

Alberta provincial politics

In the fall of 2007, Chandler sought the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (PCAA) nomination of Calgary-Egmont for the up-coming Alberta provincial election. Soon after winning the contest with a massive majority, Premier Stelmach and the PCAA Executive reviewed Chandler's candidacy. The concern was Chandler's association with a Christian organization with traditional views on marriage at the time this debate was occurring. Chandler stepped down from seeking the nomination for the PCAA in Calgary Shaw at the request of the PC party.

In the 2008 Alberta election held on March 3, Chandler ran as an independent candidate in the Calgary-Egmont riding against Jonathan Denis, his replacement as the Tory candidate, and Liberal Cathie Williams.[8] Chandler was widely expected to run as a candidate for the new Wildrose Alliance Party of Alberta but was defeated in his attempt to win election to the new party's board of directors.[9] In the provincial election Chandler finished in third place with 2008 votes (16.2%), well behind Cathie Williams, the Liberal Party candidate, with 3289 votes (26.5%). The Progressive Conservative candidate (Jonathan Denis) won with 43.6% of the vote (5415 votes)."[10]

Campaign management

Chandler claims to have managed 48 campaigns,[11] presumably nominations, leadership races, municipal, provincial and federal elections.

In November 2004 during the 2004 Alberta election, Craig Chandler managed the campaign of David Crutcher, an Alberta Alliance Party candidate in Calgary-Egmont. Crutcher was not elected, winning 1,657 votes, or 14% of the total. Notably, David Crutcher received more votes than any other Alliance candidate in an urban riding. In 2005, David Crutcher ran for the leadership of the Alberta Alliance and Chandler managed his leadership campaign. Crutcher placed third out of four candidates. Chandler also managed the successful campaign of MLA Art Johnston.[12]

He was also the campaign manager for Calgary Ward 14 winning alderman Peter Demong, and briefly served as his constituency assistant.[13] Chandler also managed the third place race of Jon Lord for the Conservative Party nomination in Calgary Centre and produced victories for Councillor Shane Keating, Peter Demong and Joe Magliocca in the 2013 Calgary civic election.

In 2020, Chandler served as Western Chair for Dr. Leslyn Lewis' campaign for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in which she placed third.

In 2021, Chandler spearheaded the Take Back City Hall initiative to elect more small-c conservatives at the municipal level in Calgary, Alberta.[14] The initiative recruited candidates and managed their campaigns in a few wards in Calgary with the Progressive Group for Independent Business (PGIB) as a vehicle. Most of the campaigns were lost due to conservative vote-splitting. Only candidate Dan McLean in Ward 13 achieved victory.

References

  1. ^ "LinkedIn Profile: Craig Chandler".
  2. ^ "Elect Craig Chandler - Ward 12 Candidate - Calgary". electcraigchandler.ca. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  3. ^ Papp, Leslie (1994-04-15). "Reform party split hits Queen's Park". The Toronto Star. p. A10.
  4. ^ "Official 1997 Alberta general election results". Elections Alberta. Archived from the original on 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
  5. ^ Elliott, Louise. "Christian group backing Harper is for-profit business run by lobbyist." Canadian Press Newswire. March 3, 2002
  6. ^ "Controversy has followed Christian lobbyist for Harper," Guelph Mercury, March 4, 2002
  7. ^ "Tory leadership race down to four candidates". CBC News. May 30, 2003. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  8. ^ Walton, Dawn; O'Neill, Katherine (February 4, 2008). "Ridings to watch". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  9. ^ McCoy, Heath, "New party to field full slate" Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, Calgary Herald, February 6, 2008
  10. ^ 2008 General Election Statements of Official Results|
  11. ^ "Freedom Radio Network". Archived from the original on 2007-05-06. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
  12. ^ Olsen, Tom, "No small job ahead for new party leader", Calgary Herald, November 20, 2005
  13. ^ "Contentious landfill BFI donates to Calgary alderman". Archived from the original on 2010-12-12.
  14. ^ "Take Back City Hall". takebackcityhall.org. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
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