Dave Barrett has the endorsement of every other leadership candidate and the trade unions
After the shocking victory of Steven Langdon on the first ballot, NDP social democrats scrambled to back Barrett. Defeated Broadbentite Audrey McLaughlin gave Barrett's seconding speech at the convention, and the outgoing leader himself is using backroom deals to try to push Barrett into the leadership, fearing that Langdon's radicalism will lead the NDP to the abyss. The trade unions, such as the Canadian Labour Congress, have backed Barrett. Barrett, the former British Columbia premier, has much more political experience.
Langdon's hardline socialism is winning him grassroots supporters, at the expense of the establishment
Langdon still has his loyal supporters, and a decent amount of the party's base. He calls his opponents "Orange Grits" and says - without evidence - that Barrett seeks to merge the party with the Liberals, a charge Barrett fiercely denies. The Essex MP also wants to move the party's base away from western Canada, but because he cannot speak French, he hopes his appeals for Quebec sovereignty will win the NDP voters in Quebec. One large benefit over Barrett is that Langdon is little known among the Canadian public, while Barrett is unpopular due to mismanagement of British Columbia's deficit during his premiership.
Two days for this one. The winner leads the NDP into the 1993 election!
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