[Dion]

Fischer appears headed to victory.....

But Smith’s case is different.

Some very knowledgeable PCs strategists now believe she’ll lose. Others say it’s too close to call. Nobody seems confident about her chances. There’s a lot of cagey silence when Highwood party members talk to each other.

Among PCs, early campaigning enthusiasm for Smith has waned.

I’m told that people sent into the riding to help — including seasoned campaigners — have basically given up, citing a lack of campaign organization, shortage of local volunteers, and Smith’s own peculiar resistance to sound advice. Her campaign seems to be based in south Calgary as much as Highwood.

Most dramatically, several sources say advisers have told Prentice he shouldn’t risk further political capital by supporting her publicly.

At an advance poll Thursday, 157 people apparently voted, many of them Fischer backers. She has endorsements from several local politicians, including a mayor, as well as George Groeneveld, former Progressive Conservative MLA for the riding.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/politi...ical-afterlife