"Michael Chong has also thrown himself into the fray. But in Conservative terms, he’s the real outsider. Since he brings to the fight good sense and some modern ideas, he should be counted out from the start."

I think the problem with very intelligent, serious, earnest candidates like Chong is that they fail to generate enthusiastic support, even among their fellow MPs. They aren't perceived as leaders, however sensible they may be.

This was one of the reasons Conservative partisans pretended to support the accomplished but relatively uncharismatic Marc Garneau in the run-up to the Liberal leadership convention, and why they expressed fake regret that he had lost to Trudeau ("I would have considered voting Liberal under Garneau" was a common theme before last year's election). They knew perfectly well which of the two was the more dangerous opponent.

Now, if 57-year old Chris Hadfield could be drafted to run for a party, that might be another matter.