Second man enters race for Conservative's in Superior-North

Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey is no longer alone in the race to represent the Conservatives in Thunder Bay-Superior North in the next federal election.

Two-time Lakehead University Student Union president Richard Longtin has thrown his name into the ring, making it a two-man race. Harvey finished second to former Buchanan Forest Products staffer Michael Auld in the initial riding nomination, but earlier this year Auld stepped down citing health issues.

Longtin, 26, says he hopes to inject a youthful, but experience energy into the contest, expected to culminate on Aug. 30 when a successful candidate will be selected.

He’s also confident voters in this region are ready to elect a Conservative at the federal level, something not seen in decades.

"I consider myself a fiscal conservative and socially moderate. I think the Conservative Party has a great shot of winning this riding and I would like to serve the people of Thunder Bay-Superior North. I think we’ve got a great community and we can even make it better," Longtin said on Thursday.

"I think (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper has done a good job across Canada with the economy, and as you can see from the results last time around, we were only about 3,000 votes off. And I think Thunder Bay is looking for a candidate who can bring innovative ideas forward as well as build a level of collaboration within the various communities that are in this riding."

Other than his time at the head of LUSU, Longtin does have political experience at the provincial level, having served in the Queen’s Park office of Ontario Conservative leader Tim Hudak and on Parliament Hill with Diane Finley.

At the end of the day, he said, he thinks the community wants an MP who can get the job done, said Longtin, acknowledging the economy has to be the No. 1 issue of any candidate in the yet-to-be-called election.

"People are looking for someone who can stop saying this is a municipal issue, this is a provincial issue. People just want to see results. They want to see jobs, they want to see a safe community and someone who cares and is going to listen," he said.

Conservative candidates in both Thunder Bay-Superior North and Thunder Bay-Rainy River have until Aug. 9 to file nomination papers, followed by a three-week campaign.

While no names have officially emerged for the Conservatives in Thunder Bay-Rainy River, Coun. Larry Hebert told tbnewswatch.com he’s considering entering the race, and he plans to weigh his options and make a decision on his political future after the World Junior Baseball Championship.