Winnipeg journalist Lesley Hughes has decided to seek election as an independent in the Manitoba riding of Kildonan-St. Paul.
Unfairly smeared as an anti-Semitic, 911 conspiracy nutbar and dumped by the Liberals as their candidate, one can easily understand why Lesley Hughes might want to run as an independent and show her attackers what she is really made of. If the outpouring of support for Hughes by Winnipeggers is any indication, she will give a good account of herself.
Can she win? Probably not. Tory incumbent, Joy Smith, won by a handy margin last time and lacking the resources the Liberal Party could provide, Hughes is in a poor position to challenge effectively.
With Hughes out of the race, NDP candidate Ross Eadie might have had a chance.
Here is what happened in 2006.
2006 Results
| DISTRICT: Kildonan-St. Paul | ||||
| Candidate | Party | Vote Count | Vote Share | Elected |
| Joy Smith | CON | 17524 | 43.13% | X |
| Terry Duguid | LIB | 13597 | 33.47% | |
| Evelyn Myskiw | NDP | 8193 | 20.17% | |
| Colleen Zobel | GRN | 1101 | 2.71% | |
| Eduard Hiebert | IND | 213 | 0.52% | |
With Hughes in the race as a high profile independent candidate, the anti-Tory vote is fractured.
It’s a pity.
Paul S. Graham 
I’m thrilled! That takes real mettle.
Actually it was too late for her to withdraw from the race. The only question that remained was whether or not she would continue to campaign. Unfortunately the anti-tory vote was already fractured in that district, as it is in any district that has multiple candidates running against the conservative. Nevertheless I despute your statement that the Conservatives have a hefty lead, I’ve always had that district marked in my strategic voting guide as a Liberal/Conservative swing district. Even as an independent I feel that she is still the best bet against the Conservatives in that area. Remember the old axiom there’s no such thing as bad press. All the attention she’s getting will no doubt actually help her out on election day!
Leslie:
You stood up to the politcal smear bullies! Running without the liberals is like dumping the dead part of the bandwagon. Bravo!
Penny In Ottawa (Stittsville, Ontario)