LONDON

MacLeod to withdraw from Ontario PC leadership race: source

Keith Leslie The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, February 5, 2015 6:17PM EST

Lisa MacLeod, Progressive Conservative MPP for Nepean-Carleton, speaks to reporters at Queen's Park in Toronto on Tuesday, April 15, 2014. (The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese)

Text:

TORONTO - The Canadian Press has learned that Ottawa-area Progressive Conservative Lisa MacLeod will pull out of the party's leadership race on Friday.

A source with MacLeod's campaign confirms she will announce her decision at a news conference scheduled for 11 a.m. in Ottawa.

The source would not say if MacLeod will also announce her intention to quit the provincial party to run federally for the seat soon to be vacated by former foreign affairs minister John Baird.

MacLeod admitted the landscape changed this week after Baird announced he would resign his Ottawa West-Nepean seat in Parliament, and after rival PC leadership candidate Vic Fedeli pulled out of the leadership race.

MacLeod would have had to post another $50,000 with the PC party if she did not withdraw from the race by close of business day Friday, which was one of the reasons Fedeli cited when he dropped out Wednesday.

Fedeli, the former North Bay mayor, threw his support behind perceived front-runner Christine Elliott, saying he hadn't raised enough money to win the race.