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OTTAWA — The man who ran Leslyn Lewis's campaign as she made two consecutive bids to become the federal Conservative leader is off to help Alberta Premier Danielle Smith try to win a provincial election in 2023. 

Steve Outhouse confirms he will serve as campaign manager for Smith and the United Conservative Party when Albertans go to the polls next spring. 

Outhouse is well-known in Tory circles and was Lewis's campaign manager during the federal Conservative party's leadership contest this year, which Pierre Poilievre won handily. 

"When you run national campaigns spanning the entire country, you can't help but develop an affinity for our Conservative heartland," he tweeted Friday. 

Lewis, a member of Parliament in rural Ontario who had the backing of many social conservatives in the party during her leadership runs in 2020 and 2022, finished a distant third to Poilievre. 

Smith will face off in the next election against a former Alberta premier, NDP Leader Rachel Notley. 

After taking over the UCP leadership following Jason Kenney's resignation, Smith vowed to push back against Ottawa, beginning with her controversial sovereignty act. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2022. 

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press