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Naheed Nenshi for PM?

Move over Justin Trudeau. Here comes Naheed Nenshi?

If you follow the buzz on Twitter, you'd see that the Calgary mayor is Canada's newest 'political rock star.'

Social media aficionados are praising Nenshi for his handling of the flood situation. He's been front and centre and cool under fire.

[ Related: Canadians on Twitter tell Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi to take a nap ]

And it's not just folks on Twitter — some of Canada's largest news organizations are lauding the man.

In the Globe and Mail:

Mr. Nenshi has been such a superbly effective leader during the flood that has devastated his city and other Alberta communities that he appears on his way to folk-hero status. On Twitter, a movement started to demand that he take a nap. He has been up around the clock, and given news conferences in the middle of the night to make sure Calgarians are kept informed. And he looks it (and admits it).

And here's CBC News' take:

Nenshi goes out of the way to praise his staff at every chance — from the city workers desperately trying to drain flooded streets, to police and fire officials, to the inspectors who have to make the unenviable decision whether people can get back into their homes.

You’d be hard pressed to find a Nenshi detractor in Calgary these days — some polls suggest his approval rating is over 70 per cent

And, back on Twitter, some are wondering aloud if Nenshi would consider a run for provincial or even federal politics one day.

Talk of Nenshi's political future is nothing new. There has long been chatter about him running for higher levels of office either for the Liberals or the NDP.

In an interview with Yahoo! Canada News, earlier this year, we asked him about his political ambitions.

"I was thinking marrying the Duchess of Cambridge but I understand she’s already married," he quipped

"You know what, I have got the best job in Canadian politics. Being the mayor is the only role where you are elected by all the citizens and as such you get the chance to kind of hold the hopes and dream of the entire city in your hands.

"I can’t imagine that there would be any political job better than that."

Regardless, Canadians are hungry for political leadership right now which Nenshi is definitely demonstrating.

[ Related: Who is more embarrassing: Rob Ford, Mike Duffy or Dalton McGuinty? ]

Any future run for provincial or federal politics, however, could be years away. Nenshi has already begun his reelection campaign — Calgarians go to the polls in October.

But if he finds away to sustain Nenshi-mania — five, ten or 15 years down the road — could we see a Prime Minister Nenshi at 24 Sussex?

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)

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