A source with the Bains campaign, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly, said the former cabinet minister has raised close to $750,000 for the race, which will end next month.
Navdeep Bains is pulling far ahead of his Ontario Liberal leadership rivals in the fundraising race, iPolitics/QP Briefing has found.
A source with the Bains campaign, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly, said the former cabinet minister has raised close to $750,000 for the race, which will end next month.
That’s far ahead from what the next closest campaign has raised, with MPP Lee Fairclough’s team claiming to have raised $577,474.
Stephanie Bowman, who also sits in the Ontario legislature, has raised $338,000, and former staffer Dylan Marando has managed to generate over $200,000, according to their respective campaigns.
Bains’ team also says it has massive advantage in attracting new members, who will ultimately elect the leader during the online voting period, which runs from Nov. 9-21.
According to the campaign, over 81 per cent of all new members who’ve joined since the start of the race are backing Bains, and their own data shows 60 per cent of youth supporters are signed up for the former Rogers executive.
No other campaign disclosed sign up figures.
READ MORE: Ontario Liberal membership doubles to 55,000 ahead of leadership vote, but remains below 2023 levels
The Ontario Liberal Party announced earlier this month that its membership has doubled since the launch of its leadership contest in February, with approximately 55,000 eligible voters now registered. The cutoff date for new members who want to vote was in September.
The latest membership figures remain way below those recorded during the party’s previous leadership contest.
In 2023, the party’s leadership race, which ultimately saw Bonnie Crombie elected leader, ended with a total of 103,206 members.
The new leader will be revealed on Nov. 21 at an event in Toronto.