Seeking votes one yard at a time with Larry Smith

Much is being made in the Quebec press the last few days about the bid by recently named Senator Larry Smith to seek a seat in Parliament, a potential chink in the Liberal wall of West Montreal that has been the domain of the Grits through the modern era of Quebec politics.

Conservatives, and Prime Minister Harper in particular are hopeful that the public image of Smith, his past association with the Montreal Alouettes and time at the helm of the Montreal Gazette may translate into a starting point for a larger expansion of the Conservative base in the province.

It was pointed out, that  this time Mr. Smith will be seeking office without the benefit of a cabinet post,  unlike the last unsuccessful attempt that saw a Conservative Senator seek office by way of Cabinet placement  of the upper chamber, a situation where things didn't quite work out the way it was planned (bonjour Monsieur Fortier!).

The message as pointed out by Eric Duhaime of the Sun newspaper chain, being that political reward and clout could arrive by the ballot box.

Much like that which voters north of Toronto gained with their election of Julian Fantino in  a by-election last month, a possible replay could be in the cards should Mr. Smith's message resonate with the voters of Lac St. Louis.

Though he may need to provide a bit of refinement to that message if the reaction to his opening salvo of campaigning  is any indication, in particular his rather ham handed declaration of the financial sacrifice he is making to serve the public.

A missive that is never a popular talking point, especially considering the serf like wages that perhaps Mr. Smith feels he will be making, still would make for a pretty rewarding payday for most Canadians.

Of course, the process of putting Mr. Smith into a desk on the Hill will have to wait until the next federal election, though judging by all the flurry of activity in some key riding's across the country, the campaign trail may beckon sooner than later.

Some of the observations on his candidacy can be found below:

Montreal Gazette-- A gift to us from Stephen Harper: Larry Smith
Montreal Gazette-- Quebec's right wing welcomes Smith run
CTV.ca-- Liberals ready for challenge in Montreal stronghold
West Island Chronicle-- Larry Smith to run for Tories in Lac St. Louis 
Globe and Mail-- Tories hope Smith's star appeal will bring victory in Montreal
Globe and Mail-- Harper’s Great Quebec Hope: ‘Parties and people can make errors’