Where will Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi run?

With former NDP leader Rachel Notley stepping down from her Edmonton-Strathcona seat at the end of the month, it raises questions on whether current leader Naheed Nenshi will seek that seat.

According to a report from Global News, Nenshi has said he is open to talking with those in Notley’s riding to see if he would be a good fit.

Since he won the party’s leadership race in June, MLA Rakshi Pancholi has been at the NDP helm of the Legislature as its deputy leader.

Nenshi has also said every constituency deserves a Legislature member who is active and present in their home riding and he’d prefer to represent in Calgary.

Since NDP Shannon Phillips stepped down on July 1, Premier Danielle Smith has said Nenshi should declare his intentions to run before she called the byelection in Lethbridge-West.

That byelection is slated for Dec. 18.

Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams says there is a rationale for Nenshi running for Notley’s seat in Edmonton.

“He has said he would like to run for a seat in Calgary or Edmonton, and despite the rivalry between the two cities it might make some sense for him to run for … Rachel Notley’s vacant seat in a byelection,” Williams said.

“Because that would give him a connection to Edmonton as well as to Calgary.”

She also says there is an opportunity for Nenshi to run outside those cities.

“Of course, he’s got to extend the connection outside of the two big cities in Alberta, and try to connect with folks in … [rural] Alberta, in some of the smaller centres in Alberta,” Williams said.

660 NewsRadio has reached out to Nenshi for comment.

With files from Dione Wearmouth