Former Premier Bill Davis endorses Harper (en francais)

I almost missed this little bit as I scanned through Garth Turner's blog:

The event was a tactical success – noisy, jammed, late and loose. The crowd was set to roar from the moment it built momentum. As I glad-handed before the main event, I was peppered with comments like, “Man, this has been a long time coming,” “Finally it feels powerful again being a Conservative,” and “I think I’m gonna cry…” Bill Davis was there – which a guy from CFRB told me afterwards would be the lead story tomorrow.

The former Ontario premier, Davis is widely seen as a pink Tory of mythic proportions, and his unqualified endorsement of Harper tonight said this: Listen, you lying Liberal bastards who are trying to terrify people that they are about to elect George W.Bush north, I am here to tell you the guy is straight up. He is no Reform knuckle-dragger. He is a modern inclusive politician. He has listened. He has learned. He is getting the William G. Davis seal of approval. So there.

And the crowd roared.

While Bill Davis may not mean much to some people, most of us grew up in Ontario during his tenure. My first job was delivering election material in Guelph for the old Big Blue Machine.

The suburban ridings where many 35+ voters live can be affected by this. In many cases, Bill's endorsement may be enough to give people a reason to vote Conservative this time. No matter how you look at things, this is not a good sign for Paul Martin.

Update: Ex-premier Bill Davis woos voters in Burlington
Ontario elder statesman says Harper builds consensus and respects others
By Daniel Nolan
The Hamilton Spectator
BURLINGTON (Jan 18, 2006)

Join the Power of Ten