Calgary-Foothills byelection will be a test for Alberta NDP

It's being called the first big test for Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP, as former city councillor Bob Hawkesworth battles it out in a byelection for the seat vacated by former premier Jim Prentice in May.

Notely was in Calgary on Sunday to help kick start the campaign, which will see voters in the riding head to the polls for the third time in a year.

"I feel relaxed, I feel great because I've got the best political leader in the province behind me and that's carrying me through and I don't mean that rhetorically — that's actually true and I'm getting that at the door step," said Hawkesworth.

Full race

The former city councillor was also once an NDP MLA, beating a then-unknown Prentice in the 1986 provincial election in Calgary-Mountain View.

Hawkesworth is up against a full roster of competitors, including PC candidate Blair Houston, who was busy door-knocking on Sunday in an effort to sell a party that may face continued voter frustration.

"At the end of the day it's a great platform that the party represents, and Alberta was built 40 years, 40-plus years, on a great platform and I want to continue and maintain that," he said.

The other candidates are Mark Taylor, running for the Alberta Party, Ali Bin Zahid for the Liberals, Prasad Panda for the Wildrose and Janet Keeping, leader of the Green Party.

One to watch

Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt says this byelection will be an interesting race to follow.

"The NDP did not win this riding, the PCs did," he said. "So the question is, can the PCs hold on to that? Can Wildrose finally make inroads into one of the city ridings? So there's a lot at stake in this very small byelection."

And while Bratt says the race for Calgary-Foothills is a litmus test on the Notley government, the premier doesn't quite see it that way.

"I think if byelections were litmus tests, Jim Prentice would be premier right now," she said, adding she's looking forward to getting feedback from residents.

Voters head to the polls on September 3.