#skndpldr Roundup

In the most noteworthy leadership development of the past few days, Praxis Analytics has released the first set of public poll results since last fall - with a couple of interesting findings.

First, there's the fact that nearly two-thirds of respondents (in a poll of the general public) couldn't name any of the candidates. That means that whoever wins the race will be starting nearly from scratch in building a public profile - which isn't without its upside, as it looks to signal that the money the Saskatchewan Party spent attacking the candidates was an utter waste.

Second, there's the suggestion that Ryan Meili, Trent Wotherspoon and Cam Broten are in a tight three-candidate race at the moment. That makes for a somewhat different take than my current impression - but likely offers a useful indicator as to the difference in the polls between the most active members whose preferences are more obvious, and people who haven't publicly identified their support for one candidate or another.

In other news, Ryan Meili released his policy statements on democratic renewal (featuring a goal of doubling the NDP's membership over the next two years) and health care. In addition to the endorsements I've discussed before, other late-campaign declarations of support have included Glenn Hagel's endorsement of Wotherspoon, Sean Shaw's for Broten, and (if I'm reading it correctly) leftdog's approval of Erin Weir.

Finally, the lengthy debate schedule is winding down, with the last two taking place tonight in Moose Jaw and Saturday in Saskatoon (with the debate to be live-streamed for those who can't attend).