Monte McNaughton is ending his campaign for the provincial Conservative party leadership.
The Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP announced in a statement posted to his website this morning that he will support Patrick Brown for the leadership. McNaughton feels ending his bid and supporting Brown will help bring the party together.
"Patrick Brown has recruited over 40,000 new party members in parts of the province where, quite frankly, the party hasn't done well in the past," says McNaughton. "So, this is about bringing energy and a fresh face to the party." The 38-year-old adds that one of the things he's most proud of is campaigning across Ontario with his wife and daughter by his side. "I certainly was the only candidate that put out a full platform, I stood strong on my beliefs, so I'm proud of every single day on the campaign trail and I think we've proved to Conservatives in Ontario that there's a bright future ahead."
McNaughton says he and Brown are similar in age, work ethic, and their platforms are much the same, with the Liberals sex ed agenda, rising energy costs, and balancing the budget without raising taxes as some of their primary concerns. For those wondering, he says charges against one of his staffers for sending threatening messages to a rival candidate's campaign had no bearing on his decision to back out.
Brown and Christine Elliott are the lone remaining candidates in the leadership race that started with five contenders.