Since delegate selection voting officially ended on Monday, Aug. 21, the candidates in the 2017 Manitoba NDP leadership race are now looking ahead to the last stop on the campaign trail: the Sept 16 leadership convention in Winnipeg.

The group representing Wab Kinew claim that their candidate is walking into the convention with a significant advantage, with 588 delegates over opponent Steve Ashton’s 339 delegates.

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While both candidates won 18 delegates a piece from northern communities Kinew’s supporters claim he won a majority of the delegates in 45 out of the total 57 constituencies.

“Today has been humbling. I want to personally thank all the members who voted and put their trust in me to be the next leader of our party,” said Kinew in an Aug. 22 statement to the press. “Over the past months, the message I’ve heard is that we’re all ready for renewal. The results today speak loud and clear.”

However, Kinew’s campaign hasn’t escaped controversy during this final stretch, especially after several anonymous email were sent to various media outlets that brought to light a charge of domestic assault that were filed against the Fort Rouge MLA in 2003.

Kinew was quick to respond by saying the original allegations were false and that the Crown eventually stayed these charges in 2004.

However, that explanation wasn’t good enough for Ashton, who said that there is a big difference between having the charges “stayed” instead of “dropped” altogether.

Legal technicalities aside, Ashton also remarked that these revelations, and Kinew’s reaction to them, speak to a larger issue about his opponent’s ability to serve as a leader and role model for the people of Manitoba.

“This is not just about legal issues from the past. It is about owning up,” he said in an Aug. 22 press release. “It is about statements that Wab Kinew has made recently that are not only not true but do a disservice to women who are survivors of gender- based violence.”

Outside of this latest controversy, Kinew still has a lot of momentum going into the Sept. 16 convention, which will determine who is the next leader of the Manitoba NDP.

If the numbers from Kinew’s camp are genuine, he only needs to pick up 105 more delegates to be elected leader, whereas Ashton requires more than twice that amount.

The 2017 Manitoba NDP leadership convention is taking place on Saturday, Sept. 16 at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg. Guest speakers for this occasion include well-known Canadian biologist and broadcaster David Suzuki, who will be taking the stage on Friday night.