Regina Northeast - Dwayne Yasinowski Nominated for NDP

CJME has already covered the basics of last night's Regina Northeast nomination meeting which saw Dwayne Yasinowski win a nail-biter over Bill Wells on the second ballot. And I'll be glad to see Dwayne carrying the NDP's banner.

But it's worth noting that the nomination race was as lively and intense as it was close. Each of the candidates was able to create plenty of energy in a packed hall (including 200 Regina Northeast members plus 78 guests), as David Froh's lower numbers were balanced out by the youth and enthusiasm of his supporters. And with Froh endorsing Yasinowski while Wells made a concerted effort to keep the nomination campaign positive, there's every reason to think that all sides can come together now that the riding's members have had a chance to choose their nominee.

Of course, the flip side is that the NDP will need a strong grassroots effort to counter the money the Sask Party is throwing behind its hand-picked candidate. But if last night is any indication, there should be enough member interest to get the job done.

Regina Northeast - Bill Wells Competing for NDP Nomination

I didn't get around to posting it earlier, but there's a third candidate currently entered in the NDP's Regina Northeast nomination race: former Regina City Councillor Bill Wells, who doesn't seem to have a website or Facebook page up yet but whose bio can be found in PDF form here.

While the riding only partially overlaps Wells' home turf as a councillor (at least unless the shape of Ward 10 has radically changed in the meantime), his experience as a candidate and name recognition would seem to make him the favourite among the current set of contestants. But Dwayne Yasinowski and David Froh will have plenty of opportunities to win support into their corner before the nomination meeting this fall - meaning that Regina Northeast looks to be yet another hotly contested race.

Regina Northeast - Dwayne Yasinowski Enters Nomination Race

As Kent has noted, there's another strong contender for the NDP's nomination in Regina Northeast, as Dwayne Yasinowski has become the second NDP candidate seeking to succeed Ron Harper. With the race officially on in Regina Northeast, the NDP can boast a fourth contested nomination in Regina - though it's interesting to note the rush of candidates in NDP-incumbent ridings when a couple of seats which the NDP held until 2007 (Regina Qu'Appelle Valley and Regina Wascana Plains) haven't yet seen any candidates step forward publicly.

In any event, kudos to Dwayne for entering what's shaping up to be another hotly contested nomination battle. And with two or more candidates putting their efforts into building the NDP in Regina Northeast, the party's chances of overcoming the Sask Party's strategy based on billboards and public announcements look better by the day.

(Edit: fixed label.)