The 2009 Saskatchewan New Democratic Party leadership election was held on June 5–7, 2009, to elect a successor to Lorne Calvert as leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party. The election was necessary because Calvert had announced his intention to step down as leader on October 16, 2008. Dwain Lingenfelter won on the second ballot, defeating Ryan Meili.
Background Dwain Lingenfelter was widely perceived to be the frontrunner during the leadership campaign, and attracted the most fundraising.
Following the first ballot, Yens Pedersen withdrew and Deb Higgins was eliminated. Both chose to endorse Meili.
Candidates Deb Higgins Deb Higgins was the MLA for Moose Jaw Wakamow. She was first elected in the 1999 provincial election. Before entering politics, she was a union organizer for United Food and Commercial Workers.
Dwain Lingenfelter Dwain Lingenfelter was previously the MLA for Regina Elphinstone from 1988 to 2000 and Shaunavon from 1978 to 1986. He had also served as Deputy Premier under Roy Romanow. Before entering politics, he was a farmer.
Ryan Meili Ryan Meili was a physician from Saskatoon.
Yens Pedersen Yens Pedersen was a lawyer from Regina and the former president of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party. He was also the Saskatchewan NDP candidate for the constituency of Regina South in the 2007 and 2011 provincial elections.
Ballot results +First BallotCandidateVotesPercentageDwain Lingenfelter4,36046.17Ryan Meili2,40125.42Yens Pedersen1,38014.61Deb Higgins1,30313.80Total9,444100.00
+Second BallotCandidateWeighted VotesPercentage+/-Dwain Lingenfelter5,028 55.07 +8.90Ryan Meili4,102 44.93 +19.51Total9,130100.00
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