Progressive Conservatives ready to choose new leader today

New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives are voting today for a new leader that they hope will take their party to victory in 2018.

And it's shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable and dramatic party leadership conventions in the province in a generation.

Seven candidates are in the race, making a second ballot a virtual certainty and a third ballot possible.

It's been 19 years since any party needed a second ballot in a leadership vote.

Former premier David Alward resigned as PC leader in 2014 after losing the provincial election to Liberal Brian Gallant.

The seven candidates are:

• MLABlaine Higgs
• MLA Brian Macdonald
• MLA Jake Stewart
• Former Conservative MP Mike Allen
• Former MP and MLA Jean Dube
• Former Saint John mayor Mel Norton
• Moncton lawyer Monica Barley

PC members will be able to vote in the main convention venue, the Aitken Centre in Fredericton and in satellite voting stations in Moncton, Saint John, Bathurst and St-Leonard.

Smaller voting locations will be on Grand Manan Island, Deer Island, and Campobello Island.

The candidate speeches begin at 10 a.m. and voting for the first ballot is expected to start after 1 p.m.

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