Ralph Goodale is an anomaly.
For 26 straight years, he has been the representative in parliament for Regina Wascana often the lone splash of red on an electoral map covered in Tory blue with sprinkles of NDP orange.
So how is Goodale able to keep winning?
"It's not a Liberal riding, it's a Goodale riding for sure," said David Herle, a political strategist and pollster.
"There are 14 federal ridings in Saskatchewan. In [2011]half of all the people in Saskatchewan who voted for the Liberal Party voted for Ralph."
Goodale has won eight straight elections, starting in 1993.Before the current election period began, he was tied as the third-longest-serving active MP. Hewas first elected to Parliament in 1974 at age 24.
"I had no intention for this to be a long-term endeavour,"Goodale said.
"But at the same time it never occurred to me in that first election back in Assiniboia in 1974 that I might lose. As it turns out, we won."
The initial win would be followed, though, bya string of losses for more than a decade.
Now seeking a ninth straight election victory,Goodale faces familiar criticisms of western abandonment by Ottawa and a motivated Conservative challenger inMichael Kram, who Goodale defeated in the 2015 election.
None of this has him considering leaving politics. He said that decision will be made by his constituents.
"Voters always ultimately have the final decision. Never assume you're entitled to a vote. Go over there and earn it," Goodale said.
After his breakthrough in 1974, Goodale lost in federal elections in 1979 and 1980, after which hemoved to provincial politics and lost a provincial byelection in Estevan.
Goodale became Saskatchewan Liberal Party Leader in 1981 and was again defeated in the 1982 provincial election. Four years later, he won the party's only seat in the legislature. In 1988, he would step down to seek a federal seat, only to lose in that year's election.
If you're keeping score that'stwo wins and five losses at the polls in 14 years.
"I had the humbling experience of writing Ralph Goodale's political obituary in 1988,"said Dale Eisler, a former Regina Leader-Post journalist.
"I figured having lost federally three times and provincially twice and then resigning after winning provincially, there were no other avenues open. But of course, I underestimated Ralph."
Eisler referred to Goodale's lonely years as provincial Liberal leader to a "long-distance runner."
He recalls Goodale "sitting in the Speaker's gallery day in, day out for question period. The one that didn't have a seat in the legislature."
Before he made his way back to Ottawa, Goodale's executive assistant wasJason Kenney now the premier of Alberta.
To keep his political career alive,Goodale had to win the party's nomination in 1993 for the riding of Regina Wascana.
For help, he called on David Herle, who first worked forGoodale in 1980 as a volunteer on his byelection bid in Estevan.
"He's my first mentor in politics," saidHerle, who went on to run campaigns for Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin.
"Without him, I wouldn't have had the life in politics that I've had. He trusted me at a very young age. He's a remarkable mentor."
In 1993,Herle came back from Ontario to help Goodalewinthe Regina Wascana nomination against well-known Regina lawyer Tony Merchant.
"It was the biggest nomination that Saskatchewan had had in quite some time,"said Herle.
Merchant sold more memberships, he said, but Goodale had more supporters show up in the end.
"It was the people that were determined to elect Ralph that made the difference."
This fall, Goodale is in for another battle.
He is facingan anti-Liberal sentiment in the Western Canada, a billboard campaign, and criticism of his party's energy policies most notably the carbon tax.
He's also faced pointed criticism from Premier Scott Moe over pool projects in Regina.
And for the first time in his 26-year run, Goodale has an opponent taking a run at him in a second straight election.
"I'm starting to feel optimistic. The feedback I'm getting this time has been very positive compared to four years ago," said Regina Wascana Conservative candidate Michael Kram.
Goodale beat Kramby 10,000 votes in 2015.
"You have to reapply for your job every four years, and just because you won 10 or 20 years ago doesn't mean you'll win this time around."
Kram says he has heard "many people" on the doorstep tell him they have voted for Goodale in the past but are switching their vote to the Conservative Party this time.
Herle, though, saysthe seat is the Liberal "beachhead" in Saskatchewan.
"Ralph Goodale is one of the most talented people in the government. It would be a terrible blow for the government to lose him," he said.
University of Regina political studies professor Jim Farney thinks Goodale is in for a bigger challenge this year.
"I would guess that the race is going to be closer than it was last time, but that kind of name recognition the 30 years of networking in public service is probably going to see another Goodale victory," hesaid.
Goodale said he will ignore polls.
"I always assume you're 100 votes behind and you've got to go find those 100 extra supporters," he said.
"You're always working at the task of earning support."
Goodale has faced anti-government sentiment before,including in 2011, when the Liberals won the lowest number of seats in their history.
"Any Liberal who was able to survive the 2011 election is one of the safest Liberals in the country," said CBC polling analyst ric Grenier.
The other candidates in Wascana are Hailey Clark (NDP), Tamela Friesen (Green Party) and Mario Milanovski (People's Party of Canada).
Since 1993,a second LiberalMP has been elected in Saskatchewan on two occasions.
"Most Canadians vote for parties first and they'll pay attention to who their representative is after. I think with Ralph, it's the other way around. It's a really deep personal connection," the U of R's Farney said.
"He represents the party people in Saskatchewan don't like and after 40 years, he's more popular than he ever was before," agreed Herle.
"In his own constituency, they refer to 'Goodale Liberals,'"said Eisler.
"So these are people who maybe aren't Liberals in the sense of strong adherence to the Liberal Party of Canada, but they feel a real sort of commitment to Goodale because they see him as a competent and credible guy."
Eisler added Goodale is seen around Regina at events and has given the city a voice at the cabinet table.
"There are some MPs I've seen over time that have, once they got elected moved to Ottawa and then went back to their riding when they wanted to," Goodale said.
"Your approach has to be the other way around. I've always lived in Regina Wascana. I go to Ottawa when I have to."
Goodale, who turns 70 two weeks before election day, said he is motivated by seeing policy through. He highlighted his support for the "Big Dig,"which deepened Regina's Wascana Lake, and a newer proposal to have Lake Diefenbaker linked to the Qu'Appelle Valley river system.
"There's always a new challenge," Goodale said. "There's always a new issue to be tackled or problem to be solved."
Goodale's latest challenge will come when Canadians vote on Oct. 21.
Read the original:
Lone Sask. Liberal Ralph Goodale facing challenge to keep election streak alive - CBC.ca
- "NBC Nightly News" - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Writer Rhiannon - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Katherine Hayles, How We Became Posthuman, prologue - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Posthumanism, Transhumanism, Antihumanism, Metahumanism ... - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Thoughts on Posthumanism | Larval Subjects . - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Transhumanism | Posthumanism | Future For All - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Posthuman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Posthumanism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Posthumanism - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Predictions: Who should, will win at 87th Academy Awards - February 21st, 2015 [February 21st, 2015]
- Waking up and smelling the roasted coffee - February 26th, 2015 [February 26th, 2015]
- US-Bangladeshi blogger Avijit Roy killed - February 27th, 2015 [February 27th, 2015]
- Atheist blogger killed in Bangladesh - February 27th, 2015 [February 27th, 2015]
- Leonard Nimoy Showed Us What It Truly Means To Be Human - February 27th, 2015 [February 27th, 2015]
- U.S. blogger hacked to death - February 27th, 2015 [February 27th, 2015]
- The Joy of the Gospel Fills the Heart and Life - February 27th, 2015 [February 27th, 2015]
- WorldViews: Why an American blogger was hacked to death in Bangladesh - February 27th, 2015 [February 27th, 2015]
- Opinion: Roy died for speaking his mind - February 27th, 2015 [February 27th, 2015]
- Terrorists murder American blogger - February 28th, 2015 [February 28th, 2015]
- 'Nobody came to save him,' witness says - February 28th, 2015 [February 28th, 2015]
- American religion critic killed, wife wounded in Bangladesh - February 28th, 2015 [February 28th, 2015]
- U.S. writer hacked to death in Bangladesh - February 28th, 2015 [February 28th, 2015]
- 53 & Grateful - February 28th, 2015 [February 28th, 2015]
- 'Apocalyptic ideology' to blame? - February 28th, 2015 [February 28th, 2015]
- Killed blogger defied Bangladesh threats - March 2nd, 2015 [March 2nd, 2015]
- Avijit Roy received death threats prior to visit - March 2nd, 2015 [March 2nd, 2015]
- American writer hacked to death in Bangladesh - March 2nd, 2015 [March 2nd, 2015]
- Time to face facts over extremism - March 2nd, 2015 [March 2nd, 2015]
- feed - Video - March 5th, 2015 [March 5th, 2015]
- As it happened: Chat with Kalpana Sharma, Subhalakshmi Nandi - March 8th, 2015 [March 8th, 2015]
- In the Memory Ward - March 9th, 2015 [March 9th, 2015]
- U.S. blogger critical of Muslim extremists fatally stabbed in Bangladesh - March 9th, 2015 [March 9th, 2015]
- U.S. atheist blogger killed in stabbing attack in Bangladesh - March 9th, 2015 [March 9th, 2015]
- Tabling of hudud bill threatening to tear PR apart - March 16th, 2015 [March 16th, 2015]
- "The Winter Boy" by Sally Wiener Grotta Nominated for the Prestigious Locus Award - March 18th, 2015 [March 18th, 2015]
- REVIEW: The scars of war - Magazine - DAWN.COM - March 22nd, 2015 [March 22nd, 2015]
- Indonesians treated to Sufi, Punjabi folk music - March 25th, 2015 [March 25th, 2015]
- Blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh - Newspaper - DAWN.COM - March 31st, 2015 [March 31st, 2015]
- Louise Palanker: Why Are Boys Ignorant About Feminism, the Need to Text, Sister Fights - April 5th, 2015 [April 5th, 2015]
- Text of Narendra Modis address to UNESCO - April 11th, 2015 [April 11th, 2015]
- PM@UNESCO: Our world is a better place because of UN - April 11th, 2015 [April 11th, 2015]
- Walking for a cause - April 11th, 2015 [April 11th, 2015]
- Thomas Jeffersons torturous afterlife: How Ronald Reagan and the Tea Party try to steal his legacy - April 13th, 2015 [April 13th, 2015]
- Heidegger, Martin - May 16th, 2015 [May 16th, 2015]
- Lhyperhumanisme contre le posthumanisme : article - Revue ... - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Posthumanismus Wikipedia - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Home : Rice University Department of English - January 20th, 2017 [January 20th, 2017]
- Trump's Wall Will Fail in the Era of Post-Humanism - Inverse - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- The Fairly Traded Coffee Party - Patheos (blog) - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- James Ibori inspired David Cameron's comment of Nigeria being 'fantastically corrupt' CACOL - Daily Post Nigeria - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Oscar-Nominated Shorts: Unsung but Worth Your Time - New York Times - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Thinging the Real: On Bill Brown's Other Things - lareviewofbooks - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- The Sanders-Cruz Debate Humane Health Care Or Free Market Fundamentalism? - Huffington Post - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- The Tate dives into the art of David Hockney - The Economist (blog) - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Japanese manga artist Jiro passes away - The Kathmandu Post - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Announcing My New Book - Patheos (blog) - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Calls for contributions to books and special issues of ... - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Open letter to Shehla Rashid, from former AMU Students Union leader - DailyO - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Interview with Scott Blair - Conatus News - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Freedom & Islam 'not compatible,' says far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders - RT - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Humans in Dark Times - New York Times - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- American society headed toward a breaking point - Jerusalem Post Israel News - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Talk utilizes postmodern approaches to explore images of the medieval body - NIU Today - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Sophia Al Maria: EVERYTHING MUST GO at The Third Line - Arte Fuse - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- 'Moonlight,' 'La La Land' and What an Epic Oscars Fail Really Says - New York Times - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Manifestly Haraway - Brooklyn Rail - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Can Universities Save the Enlightenment from Populism? - Huffington Post - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Lecturer for Cindy Wool seminar supports 'slow medicine' - Jewish Post - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Post-Truth Trump And Why Humanism Is The Answer To Anti-Facts - Huffington Post - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Acknowledgment is Not Enough: Coming to Terms With Lovecraft's Horrors - lareviewofbooks - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Making Humanism Happen in Nigeria: A labour of Love - Conatus News - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- The Newfound Lionization Of George W. Bush Shows How Far We've Fallen - Huffington Post - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Grapevine: Shimon Peres Day in the Big Apple - Jerusalem Post Israel News - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- The Victim Of Populism Is Democracy - Huffington Post - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- In a robot showdown, humanity may happily surrender - Washington Post - March 10th, 2017 [March 10th, 2017]
- Noted secularist Zuckerman to speak here Monday - Ashland Daily Tidings - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- 'Can we all get along?' Apparently not - Miami Herald (blog) - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Book World: In a robot showdown, humanity may happily surrender - Prince George Citizen - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- What if the problem is simply liberals and conservatives just don't like each other? - Fort Worth Star Telegram - March 12th, 2017 [March 12th, 2017]
- Godless flocks grow, attract like-minded - NWAOnline - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]