Leadership 2009 - Week in Review, April 19

After the first of two weeks of debates and with the membership deadline less than a week away, the Saskatchewan NDP leadership race still seems to be getting little mainstream attention - with media coverage seeming to happen late if at all. But in the blogosphere, things are starting to heat up with a couple of the more pointed posts I've seen so far.

Of course, I'm all for ensuring that the candidates get properly vetted and tested during the course of the leadership race. But I'll also offer a reminder of the outcome we're all hoping for from the candidate whose campaign has been the most adversarial at times:

Higgins said the NDP leadership race is strengthening the party overall.

When asked who she would support for party leader if she were not to win, Higgins said it’s too early for her to make such an endorsement, as she believes she has a very strong chance of winning.

However, whoever wins the leadership race, Higgins said all candidates will get behind the leader and work with the party for the betterment of Saskatchewan.

Needless to say, that result is one that everyone in the NDP should be aiming for once the leadership race is done. And ideally the candidates' coming together behind the eventual winner will also encourage their supporters to do the same.

But to bring that about, it's worth keeping the candidates' recruiting efforts for the next week (and persuading efforts until June) focused on positive ideas which can form a basis for a common vision - lest disputes over the points of difference between the leadership candidates (as important as those may be) otherwise make it more difficult to unite as a party once the race is done.