RUTH Davidson knows a thing or two about victory.
She got her first taste of success in the 2011 Scottish Conservative leadership race, beating off competition from, among others, titans of Scottish politics Murdo Fraser and Jackson Carlaw.
She then led the Tories to a glorious victory in the best of the rest competition at the 2016 Holyrood election, pipping Kezia Dugdale’s Scottish Labour.
And more recently, her party won a stunning 11.7% of the votes in Scotland in the European Parliament elections.
It’s little surprise then that Davidson’s endorsement in the UK Conservative Party leadership contest has helped propel Sajid Javid up the leaderboard.
The Scottish Tory leader announced her backing for the Home Secretary on Wednesday, insisting he could unite a “divided Britain”.
So impressed was Javid with Davidson's "winning" record that he accidentally imagined another victory for her.
Javid praises Scottish Tories for throwing out central casting, electing Ruth Davidson and "winning again"
— Nick Eardley (@nickeardleybbc) June 12, 2019
in Scotland (but doesn't mention they're not in power....)
And with help from Davidson, the man who once described devolution as "nothing short of constitutional vandalism" won the backing of 23 MPs in the first round of voting for the Tory leadership.
Javid finished in fifth place, a mere 91 votes off Boris Johnson in first.
Scots were quick to congratulate Davidson for her success by proxy.
SNP MP Stewart McDonald got the ball rolling.
Last month Ruth Davidson led her party to fourth place. Today her endorsement led Sajid Javid into fifth place. #Winning https://t.co/vUKcX1cCfP
— Stewart McDonald MP (@StewartMcDonald) June 13, 2019
Scotland's Finance Secretary added:
Ruth Davidson clearly not as influential in the U.K. Tory Party as she thought!
— Derek Mackay MSP (@DerekMackaySNP) June 13, 2019
But it wasn't just politicians getting in on the act ...
1. @sajidjavid announces he's running
— 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝗔𝗶𝘁𝗸𝗲𝗻 🏴🇪🇺 (@mrpaulaitken) June 13, 2019
2. @RuthDavidsonMSP backs him
3. Today he is fifth place
Scottish Tories have some influence, eh 😂🙄
@sajidjavid welcome to the @RuthDavidsonMSP electoral effect. Where fifth place in a vote is still considered "Winning"! pic.twitter.com/tIPCXXZAEp
— Kenny Laidlaw (@LaidlawKenny) June 13, 2019
Well now @sajidjavid knows how it feels to get the same success as @RuthDavidsonMSP ...by coming fifth in an election nobody wanted.
— #HOOP Proud Cybernat D Llewellyn. (@HOOP_hands_off) June 13, 2019
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