page_title: 2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election
hierarchical_section_title: 2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election
context_page_description: The 2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election was held on March 10, 2018, due to the resignation of party leader Patrick Brown on January 25, 2018, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Winner Doug Ford narrowly defeated runner-up Christine Elliott on the third ballot with 50.6% of allocated points.
  The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election was scheduled for 3 months before the 2018 provincial election scheduled for June 7. It came after a turbulent year of disputed and allegedly fraudulent nominations contests across the province for local PC candidates. In two of these contests; Ottawa West—Nepean and Scarborough Centre the nominations were overturned after Brown's resignation and Brown's own nomination in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte was cancelled. At the time of the leadership election Newmarket—Aurora and five others remained under active investigation by the party and Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas remained under police investigation.
context_section_description: The 2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election was held on March 10, 2018, due to the resignation of party leader Patrick Brown on January 25, 2018, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Winner Doug Ford narrowly defeated runner-up Christine Elliott on the third ballot with 50.6% of allocated points.
  The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election was scheduled for 3 months before the 2018 provincial election scheduled for June 7. It came after a turbulent year of disputed and allegedly fraudulent nominations contests across the province for local PC candidates.  In two of these contests; Ottawa West—Nepean and Scarborough Centre the nominations were overturned after Brown's resignation and Brown's own nomination in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte was cancelled. At the time of the leadership election Newmarket—Aurora and five others remained under active investigation by the party and Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas remained under police investigation.
  According to Article 23.1 of the PC party constitution, when there is a vacancy in the position of leader, the party caucus chooses an interim leader to serve until a new leader is elected in a leadership election, which must be held within 18 months of the vacancy occurring, and in which all party members can vote. Party president Rick Dykstra told the media on January 25 that "a leadership election will take place at such time as the PC party shall determine in its discretion". The party executive met on January 26, 2018, following the caucus election, to determine whether to have a leadership election before the provincial election, and if so, how it would proceed, or whether to have the interim leader lead the party into the election, and called the leadership election for March 2018.
caption: Top Map: Results of the first round by plurality of points. Bottom Map: Results of the 3rd (final) round by plurality of points