The man who ran Leslyn Lewis’ campaign when she made two consecutive bids to become federal Conservative leader is set to help Alberta Premier Danielle Smith win a 2023 provincial election.
Steve Outhouse confirms he will serve as campaign manager for Smith and the United Conservative Party when Albertans go to the polls next spring.
Outhouse is well known in conservative circles and was Lewis’s campaign manager during the federal party leadership contest this year, which Pierre Poilievre won handily.
Lewis is a rural Ontario MP who enjoyed the support of the party’s social conservative base during her leadership runs in 2020 and 2022.
Smith will face a former premier of Alberta, NDP Leader Rachel Notley, in the next election.
After taking over the UCP leadership following Jason Kenney’s resignation, Smith vowed to push back against Ottawa, starting with her controversial sovereignty bill.