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In a matter of days, the party lost its democratically elected leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, appointed former BC Liberal Lorne Doerkson as interim leader, welcomed seven MLAs back from their brief stint with CentreBC and began rolling out a candidate slate that includes some interesting choices.

All of this happened just as NDP Leader David Eby called British Columbians back to the polls for Oct. 24, less than two years after the last provincial election.

Eby says the early election is necessary in part because of the economic threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump and his trade war.

But the timing is hard to ignore.

For weeks, the Conservatives had been tearing themselves apart publicly. Findlay’s short-lived leadership became consumed by internal battles, defections and expulsions rather than taking the fight to the NDP.

When she finally resigned, Findlay acknowledged as much, saying too much of the party’s time and attention had been consumed by internal conflict.

Eby called the election two days later.

If he expected the Conservative implosion to be a political gift, however, the first major poll of the campaign suggests voters may have other ideas.

An Angus Reid Institute survey conducted Sept. 22–24 put the Conservatives at 43 per cent among decided and leaning voters, compared with 35 per cent for the NDP. But it is still very early: one in five respondents remained undecided, and only 35 per cent said they were “very certain” of their choice.

Which brings us back to Doerkson.

The Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA prior to the writ, was originally elected as a BC Liberal in 2020 before joining the Conservatives in 2024. Unlike several former BC Liberals who abandoned the Conservatives during the revolt against Findlay, Doerkson stayed.

Since taking over, he has also maintained several recognizable Conservative positions, including promising to repeal the NDP’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

But the party he now leads is undeniably a coalition.

That became even clearer when seven CentreBC MLAs were welcomed back into the Conservative fold almost immediately after Findlay’s resignation. Peter Milobar, who had just become leader of CentreBC, returned too. Elenore Sturko remained with CentreBC.

Then there are the candidates.

Reann Gasper gave up her Abbotsford-Mission seat so Findlay could attempt to enter the legislature through a byelection. After Findlay resigned and the general election swallowed up that byelection, Gasper indicated she wanted to run again.

Instead, the Conservatives selected businessman Darryl Kropp.

Caroline Elliott, who finished second to Findlay in the Conservative leadership race, is running in West Vancouver-Capilano, with incumbent for that riding Lynn Block moved elsewhere. And the party selected Ryan Windsor, a politician with an left-wing political history that includes previous runs for the Greens and federal Liberals to run for in Saanich North and the Island.

BC Conservative candidate Ryan Windsor. https://t.co/heIF6h2nz8 pic.twitter.com/huMvLuWIiQ

— Billboard Chris 🌎 (@BillboardChris) September 27, 2026

In this report, we weigh the concerns of grassroots conservatives against the facts we know about Mr. Doerkson.

For my continuing coverage throughout this wild election campaign, head to BCDecides.com.