REGINA - The political reverberations are already being felt in the wake of the criminal charges and removal from the Sask Party caucus of Cut Knife-Turtleford MLA Ryan Domotor.
Last week Premier Scott Moe confirmed that Domotor, who faces a charge of obtaining sexual services for consideration after being caught in a human trafficking sting operation in Regina, is being stripped of his nomination to run for the Saskatchewan Party in Cut Knife-Turtleford.
In the aftermath of that news, at least one potential candidate has wasted no time in announcing a run in his place. James Thorsteinson, a former Saskatchewan Party president who runs a ranch in the Maidstone area, has confirmed in a statement that he is entering that riding’s Sask Party nomination race.
In doing so, Thorsteinson has withdrawn his challenge for the Lloydminster nomination against the current incumbent Colleen Young. That means Young is being acclaimed by the Sask Party to run again in the Lloydminster seat, with that nomination meeting happening Thursday, Nov. 30.
In a statement announcing his intentions, Thorsteinson congratulated Young on being acclaimed while touting Cut Knife-Turtleford as a “good fit for me.”
“I am familiar with many in the constituency already, and look forward to meeting many more people. The main economic drivers in this area are agriculture and the energy sector, two fields I am very familiar with.”
His campaign has also touted endorsements received from former Sask Party MLAs including Larry Doke, Herb Cox, Tim McMillan, Milt Wakefield and Allan Kerpan.
Cut Knife-Turtleford is considered to be one of the safest Saskatchewan Party ridings in the province and there is speculation that the nomination race there could be a hotly contested one. There is no word yet on when a nomination meeting will be scheduled.
While the Sask Party gets ready to nominate a new candidate in Cut Knife-Turtleford, in the meantime Domotor continues to sit as the riding's MLA outside the Sask Party caucus.
