Ryan has decided not to run in the Riversdale by-election and that's
the right decision for a wide range of reasons. (The link I gave is to News Talk 980 and even they mis-spell Link's first name as “Dwaine”! Er, I hope that mistake doesn't go *poof*. 
)
1) It allows
a great female candidate with deep roots in that area to run unopposed, increasing the chances both her and Ryan will be in the Legislature in 2011 (and she's a lactivist too
– Shea met her at convention and all I could say was, “Uhm, I'll just be over
here” as they compared notes and chatted like old friends.)
2) The choice not to get into a nomination battle once again showed Ryan's principles and values. It's not just about winning for him – it's about the long-term future of the party and also doing the right thing.
3) It allows
Ryan to avoid some of the nastiness that is inevitably coming with
Dwain Lingenfelter squaring off against Brad Wall. (Today, John Gormley was openly speculating about whether Dwain Lingenfelter even meets the Elections Saskatchewan regulation stating that you have to have been a resident of the province for the past six months to be elected. I may not have that 100% correct but that's the gist of what he was on about. That detail is also referenced in the last line of this Discover Moose Jaw story.)
4) It gives Ryan time to re-group after a grueling, five-month campaign of non-stop activity.
5) And it will be a
chance to see whether Link needed Ryan more than Ryan needed Link as I
suspect is very much the case.
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