Key Conservative leaves leadership campaign of Brampton’s Patrick Brown

OTTAWA — Michelle Rempel Garner, a longtime Conservative MP from Calgary, says she’s stepping back from the federal Conservative leadership race to consider running for Jason Kenney’s job.

Rempel Garner was serving as co-chair on Brampton’s Patrick Brown’s leadership campaign when Kenney stunned many last month by announcing he was resigning as premier of Alberta and leader of the United Conservative Party after narrowly surviving a leadership review.

Rempel Garner’s name soon started to circulate as a potential successor to Kenney.

She confirmed on Twitter she has been encouraged to run and is giving “serious consideration” to mounting a UCP leadership bid.

Rempel Garner says she will step back from the federal Conservative leadership race to focus her attention on a potential leadership run.

In his own statement on Twitter, Brown thanked Rempel Garner for contributing to his campaign and wished her well in her deliberations.