Supporters of Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer are pointing out the similarities between how he is being portrayed by the mainstream media today and how Stephen Harper was portrayed in 2004.
In a video posted this weekend by the group Team Scheer, headlines suggesting that Stephen Harper’s leadership would not last are compared with identical ones about Scheer.
Headlines like, “Talk grows among Tories about who’ll succeed Harper” and “Harper ponders political future: Weary leader hails ‘historic result’ despite failures in Ontario,” are similar to headlines seen in the mainstream media today.
Team Scheer argues that, like Harper, Scheer will eventually go on to become prime minister despite not winning the first time.
“Of course, only a few months after these articles were all written, Stephen Harper went on to win an election,” they wrote.
“Keep that in mind when paid political consultants come out trying to divide our party and attack our leader.”
In Stephen Harper’s first election as leader, the Conservatives won 99 seats and 29.63% of the vote. In the 2019 federal election, the Conservatives under Scheer did significantly better, winning 121 seats and 34.41% of the vote.
Unlike in 2004, Conservatives in 2019 were able to win the popular vote.
Andrew Scheer has been under pressure to resign since the federal election in October, with multiple campaigns formed arguing he should step aside.
The 2020 Conservative Party convention in April will include a leadership review. Scheer will need to get the support of over 50% of the delegates in order to stay on as leader.
Scheer and his team recently created Team Scheer to defend his record ahead of the leadership review.
