Many new candidates looking for a seat in Manitoba election

As provincial campaigning comes to and end, some candidates making a bid for political office for the first time say while exhausting, it’s an experience they’ll never forget.

David Pankratz is running for the NDP in the electoral division of Waverley, the firefighter-paramedic saying it was his experiences as an emergency responders on the frontline of the healthcare system that partially drove him to run.

And while his feet are aching from walking the campaign, the experience has been “incredible.”

“Really a big thing about this, just philosophically when it comes to democracy and politics, is that we just need more conversation and nuance with people and there’s been a ton of that at the door,” said Pankratz.

“We can disagree on things, we can healthy arguments about things, but at the end of the day, we’re all just trying to move Manitoba forward in a positive direction and we’ve gotten a lot of that.”

Pankratz says whether or not he’d run again is something he’s still pondering, and while he’s focused on getting supporters to the polls, the last days have been a thrill for the rookie NDP candidate.

“Ultimately, it’s incredibly exciting the prospect of what we could accomplish if we’re fortunate enough to take office tomorrow, but we need a lot of people to vote for us at this point, and that’s what we’re focused on,” he explained.

Garry Alejo, who is running for the Manitoba Liberal Party in Burrows, says he’d run again for sure and the experience has allowed him to learn a lot about his community.

He says while he is nervous ahead of Election Day, a positive attitude has helped him across the finish line.

“When we started this campaign, we tried to our best and our goal was to connect with the community and talk to more people and try to understand their concerns and listen to them,” said Alejo.

“When I wake up, I have to think always positive and to show to our volunteers, always show to them, that I’m always energetic, so it’ll be a domino effect. If you show that strength, your positivity, to your volunteers it will carry them.”

Royce Koop, a professor of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba, says those running for the first time are gaining a new, and profound, perspective of their community in a expedited fashion.

CLIP: “It’s definitely a baptism by fire,” said Koop. “Going around and knocking on people’s doors is actually a fairly intimate experience. You’re going into people’s homes, asking them what their concerns are, and what they’re needs are.”

He says the amount of work and effort that goes into a campaign is immense, and whether they win or lose, anyone who put their name on the ballot deserves kudos as the task is not an easy one.

“It’s fantastic that people run for office and it does give me hope for the province and for Canadian democracy.”

The PCs said their candidates were out campaigning Monday and were not made available for an interview.

Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.