The contestants are making their final adjustments to their strategies, they’re putting in long hours and testing their resolve with a goal of taking the podium as the winner in two weeks’ time.

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Yes, the 2026 Winter Olympics begin Feb. 7, but so, too, does the leadership of P.E.I.’s next premier.

The fourth person to hold that title since Dennis King abruptly left the role less than a year ago will be decided at the Progressive Conservative leadership convention in two weeks’ time. Contenders are Rob Lantz, who acted as interim party leader and de facto premier for 10 months after the party handed him the reins following King’s departure in February, and Mark Ledwell, who is making his first foray into politics by seeking the province’s highest position.

The leadership bid has been more confrontational than we’ve experienced in recent contests, with one man running on his record and surrounded by almost all of the PC Caucus and the other lobbing barbs from outside the rail, promising he’d do things differently. Usually, leadership hopefuls are careful not to rock the boat too much or risk dividing the party. Those concerns don’t seem to be a factor this time, which is kind of refreshing for those of us following along.

Nevertheless, there is something similar about these candidates that former PC leader Pat Mella has spoken about over the years.

Mella, who was Opposition leader from 1993-96 and an MLA........

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