THE underdog in the Scottish Labour leadership contest has claimed the momentum has swung in his favour as the campaign culminates in a TV head-to-head debate tonight.
Ken Macintosh’s campaign got off to a weak start when most of the party’s MSPs, as well as local branches and trade unions, nominated his rival Kezia Dugdale, the party’s former deputy leader under Jim Murphy.
But Macintosh hopes he can overcome the “party machine”, which backed Dugdale, and, by appealing directly to the grassroots, beat her to the top job in the new one-person-one-vote election system.
“The more people hear my message, the more they are coming my way. The momentum in this contest has swung towards me,” he said.
Yesterday he revealed that canvassing returns indicated the two candidates were neck and neck.
Research by his team said of more than 3000 party members contacted more than half of those who responded – 55 per cent – said they were undecided about who to vote for.
It also found of those who expressed a preference, 50.8 per cent said they intended to vote for Macintosh compared with 49.2 per cent for Dugdale.
Macintosh, who last week began a tour of undecided voters around Scotland, is hoping tonight’s debate between him and Dugdale on BBC Two will allow him to reach out to more.
“These figures confirm what I have heard talking to party members up and down the country – that they are refusing to be dictated to by the party machine and are, instead, determined to make up their own minds.”
The ballot opened last Monday and Macintosh will spend the next three weeks before the poll closes on August 15, visiting constituencies in every part of Scotland.
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