B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan bets that people-focused campaign will pay off
VANCOUVER — On a recent day on the campaign trail in British Columbia, New Democrat Leader John Horgan chatted with seniors and university students inside a locally owned diner in Kamloops, met laid-off workers outside a shuttered mill in Merritt and listened to an elderly couple’s story of skyrocketing hydro bills in Hope.
He also squeezed in a game of pool with a journalist and capped off the day with a screening of the latest “Star Trek” movie, which he said he’s seen multiple times and still can’t understand why he was rejected as an extra. (It’s a true story. The 57-year-old is a sci-fi aficionado but was told he was too old for a part.)
Throughout it all, Horgan looked relaxed and confident.
The NDP campaign has allowed Horgan to meet a number of people before Tuesday’s election, holding roundtable chats in supporters’ homes about the challenges of finding a family doctor or the need to renovate rundown sports facilities. The events are staged but unscripted, aiming to drive home the message that Horgan works for regular people.