2020 Ontario Liberal Party leadership endorsements

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DateMarch 7, 2020
ConventionInternational Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
Resigning leaderKathleen Wynne
WonbySteven Del Duca
2020 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election
DateMarch 7, 2020
ConventionInternational Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
Resigning leaderKathleen Wynne
Won bySteven Del Duca
Ballots1
Candidates6
Entrance fee$100,000
($75,000 non-refundable)
Spending limit$900,000
Ontario Liberal Party leadership elections
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This is a list of notable individuals and entities who provided endorsements to candidates during the 2020 Ontario Liberal Party leadership contest, or had their expression of support reported in the media. Titles or offices held listed are current as of the March 6, 2020 when the leadership convention was called to order. This list only includes individuals who held public elected offices, or individuals/entities of prominence sufficient for their expression of support to be reported by news media.

As typical in leadership contests of the two main political parties in Canada and other countries with government based on the Westminster model, the public support of incumbent caucus members were the endorsements most prized by the contestants and most often cited by journalists and pundits. The Ontario Liberal Party was decimated in the 2018 Ontario election, leaving only seven survivors in caucus. Among them, two were candidate themselves, two resigned by the fall of 2019 (their successors were not elected until a week prior to the convention), and both the outgoing leader Kathleen Wynne and interim leader John Fraser remained neutral throughout the contest. This left long time Thunder Bay MPP Michael Gravelle the only caucus endorsement up for grab in the traditional sense. The Del Duca campaign released Gravelle's endorsement a month prior to members voting.

The next most sought after groups were the former MPPs, especially those in office prior to the 2018 election, and the Liberals MPs representing Ontario electoral districts as they were the most likely figures to have on the ground political organization at their disposal. They also played an outsized role in the contest as party granted all former Ontario Liberal MPPs and all current Liberal MPs representing Ontario electoral districts status as voting delegate at the convention.

[a] MPPs MPs[b]
Current Former Current Former
Total available 7 ~160 79 ~270
Michael Coteau 1 (self)955[c]
Steven Del Duca 1342211
Kate Graham 71
Brenda Hollingsworth
Mitzie Hunter 1 (self)212
Alvin Tedjo 1[d]

Relevance to outcome

The competition for endorsements were largely among the three leading candidates. The campaigns of Del Duca, Coteau and Graham each released endorsements at regular intervals throughout fall of 2019 and early 2020, and leverage the endorsements at strategic junctures for public and members communication purposes. Hunter was not competitive on this front despite having been a caucus and cabinet colleague with many of the potential endorsers for an extended period like Del Duca and Coteau. The number of endorsements released by the contestants corresponded roughly to the voting results, with Del Duca laying claims to a bit over half of all the released endorsements, and Coteau's tallies being approximately a third of Del Duca's and Graham being approximately a quarter.

The regional distribution of the endorsements also provided early clues of the rival camps pockets of strengths. Del Duca's long list of endorsements from the 905 area reflected his campaign's dominance in that region. The endorsements released also foreshadowed Coteau's strong performance in Eastern Ontario and Scarborough, Graham's firm grip of the area surrounding her London home base, and Hunter's surprise wins in certain electoral districts in the north.

Uniquely, Coteau and Del Duca were each endorsed by a municipal politician that became a Conservative MPPs just a few years later: Coteau was endorsed by Toronto School Trustee David Smith, who would become MPP for Scarborough Centre just two years later in the 2022 provincial election, while Del Duca was endorsed by Milton councilor Zee Hamid, who would go on to win the 2024 Milton by-election and would join the Ford ministry as Associate Solicitor General in March 2025.

Michael Coteau

Steven Del Duca

Kate Graham

Brenda Hollingsworth

Hollingsworth did not release any endorsement.

Mitzie Hunter

Alvin Tedjo

Notes

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