Dalton McGuinty - 2007 Re-election

2007 Re-election

In late 2004, John Tory was chosen to replace Ernie Eves as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. A principal secretary to former PC Premier Bill Davis, Tory was regarded as more moderate than Mike Harris and the mostly rural MPPs who made up the majority of his caucus. McGuinty's Liberals ran a candidate against Tory during the latter's successful bid to enter the legislature. Howard Hampton continued to lead the NDP. Though Tory out-polled McGuinty in the category of preferred premier, the Liberals held a lead over the Progressive Conservatives, while the NDP held around 20% support.

In October 2006, the McGuinty Liberals held their last Annual General Meeting before the 2007 election. The event set in place several key elements of their reelection strategy. First, American political consultant James Carville advised Liberal activists to stick to a simple message in the next election. Second, the party elected long-time activist Gord Pheneuf as the new president. Finally, Premier McGuinty laid out the theme of the next campaign: standing up for Ontario families.

On October 10, 2007, McGuinty and his Ontario Liberal party won a consecutive majority government in the 39th general provincial election. The last Liberal Party Premier to achieve such success was Mitchell Hepburn during the 1930s.