The federal nomination for the Liberals in Windsor West just got a little tighter.
Candidate Melinda Munro used a riding meeting Friday at the Fogolar Furlan Club to announce that she was stepping aside as a candidate and endorsing Sandra Pupatello for the nomination. The Liberals are the only major party that does not have a nominated candidate in Windsor West. This is a riding that is expected to get some national attention in the upcoming October election.
While Munro had been campaigning for some time, Pupatello had thrown her hat into the ring last week after several years out of politics. Munro said it seemed like the right thing to do to step aside and get behind a candidate with an established history.
"Sandra is a former cabinet minister, and she brings an enormous amount of profile to the campaign, a profile that I couldn't bring, and she brings an automatic name recognition that would take me more than nine weeks to create," said Munro, referring to the time remaining before the scheduled election.
Pupatello joined about 100 supporters in applauding Munro's announcement, telling the crowd that her endorsement only strengthens the party's standing in Windsor West.
"We are moving one step closer to me being the candidate that is going to take our message door-to-door in this very riding," said Pupatello. "We are going to win back this seat. And it matters that Melinda is here today and it matters that she is throwing her support behind me."
Pupatello then called on the Windsor West Liberal association to plan a nomination meeting so campaigning can begin in essence.
With Munro stepping aside, the only other declared candidate for the Liberal nomination is Hsaio D'Ailly, a university professor.
For the Windsor West riding, incumbent Brian Masse is already acclaimed to run for the NDP. Henry Lau is the Conservative nominee for the second federal election in a row, and Darryl Burrell of the People's Party of Canada.
Sandra Pupatello reacts as Melinda Munro endorses her candidacy for the Liberal nomination in Windsor West at the Fogolar Furlan Club, Windsor, August 23, 2019. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
