Manitoba's Progressive Conservatives have elected Obby Khan as their new leader.
Khan, a former cabinet minister and pro football player, was chosen by party members over Wally Daudrich, a hotel owner and longtime party board member, in a tight race.
Daudrich garnered 53 more votes than Khan, according to results posted to the party's website.
But under the party's system that uses points for each constituency, Khan won with 50.4 per cent overall to Daudrich's 49.6 per cent.
"Whether you voted for Wally — a lot of people did — whether you voted for me, or you didn't vote, I thank you for being a member of this party," Khan told party faithful.
"But now we all need to come together because you win in politics, you win in life, through addition not subtraction."
Daudrich left the room without speaking to the media and a spokesperson for his campaign says Daudrich accepts the results.
After his win Saturday, Khan told reporters he is getting right to work to grow the party's support across the province.
Khan received the backing of most caucus members and promoted himself as a big-tent politician who can work with a wide range of people and is ready to lead with a seat in the legislature.
Daudrich has said the party needs to return to more conservative positions and that he would focus on smaller government and a more business-friendly environment.
The race saw Khan take few risks. He kept his promises general. At one point, he promised to give municipalities a share of the provincial sales tax but refused to specify a percentage.
Daudrich staked out more socially conservative ground.
As the Tories look to rebuild, Winnipeg is set to play a pivotal role.
The Tories hold two of the 32 legislature seats in the capital, while the governing New Democrats have 29. Opinion polls suggest the NDP continue to enjoy broad support among voters and the New Democrats have been in much better financial shape.
The Tories used a one-member, one-vote system in 2021 in which all votes were counted with equal weight.
This time around, the party adopted a point system that limits the influence of constituencies with large membership numbers. It prevents candidates from potentially winning by flooding one or two constituencies with new membership sales.
The new system allots one point for every vote a candidate receives in constituencies with up to 100 voting members. After that, a sliding scale kicks in. A constituency with 400 voting members is worth 200 points and no constituency is worth more than 500 points.
Results posted to the party's website show Daudrich got a solid majority of the 354 votes in Morden-Winkler, for example, but that converted to 100 points split between the two candidates.
Likewise, Khan got a strong majority of the 302 votes in the Fort Whyte constituency, which he represents in the legislature. That also converted to 100 points split between the two men.
Daudrich has floated the idea of running for a legislature seat in the Spruce Woods constituency, where a byelection is looming due to the recent resignation of Tory Grant Jackson. But Daudrich has not publicly committed to the idea.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2025