This weekend Jagmeet Singh became the first person of colour to win the leadership of a national political party, taking 53.6% of first-ballot votes cast in the federal NDP leadership race.

How did someone with no name recognition outside of Brampton defeat sitting caucus members you ask?

Partly because the era of old-school brokerage politics dominated by party insiders is coming to an end.

We have witnessed this phenomenon down south as Barack Obama overcame the Clinton machine on his way to the Democratic Party nomination in 2008. We saw it with the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders against the collective will of their party establishments.

Like these politicians, Singh doesn’t owe his win to party bosses. His success came from a compelling personal narrative and a dogged campaign work ethic.

He was able to tap into a new generation of NDP voters who felt comfortable with a candidate who visually represents values of inclusiveness.

So what comes next?

For one, he will need to find a winnable seat. This is no small feat especially since Singh has stated his preference is to run against popular Liberal MP Raj Grewal in the riding of Brampton East.

Expect Team Trudeau to throw massive resources into that riding come next election.

Singh will also need to map out a coherent policy platform. While he has spoken about priority areas, details have been sparse beyond pledges to ban involuntary carding by police — something Ontario has already done — and decriminalizing the use of drugs like cocaine.

What’s his vision to protect and grow the middle class in an era of increased protectionism from the United States and abroad? We simply don’t know.

Another open question is what impact Singh’s victory will have on next June’s Ontario election.

Singh’s pending departure, combined with veteran MPP Cheri DiNovo’s recent decision not to run again, leaves the Ontario NDP with two fairly large holes to fill in a small caucus.

Adding to NDP troubles, are shifting demographics which have led to 11 more ridings being added to the Liberal-friendly suburban 905 ring around Toronto that are home to large concentrations of first- and second-generation Canadian voters. Singh will need to help Horwath grow her base to appeal to these voters.

This won’t be easy.

The NDP is consistently unable to secure electoral gains in the 905 region.

Finally, Singh will sadly need to overcome the inevitable dog whistles that will begin to blow given his ethnic background and the fact that he is a turbaned Sikh. For example, in a move clearly designed to undermine NDP support in Quebec, Bloc Quebecois leader Martine Ouellet disgracefully characterized Singh’s candidacy as representing the “rise of the religious left.”

Singh will need to move quickly to consolidate the support of his Quebec caucus and demonstrate a solid commitment to the province’s secular values.

So how will he fair? We shall see.

Provincial politicians who jump to lead federal parties have found the national spotlight vicious and unforgiving — just ask Thomas Mulcair.

— Khan is a vice president with Hill and Knowlton Strategies and attended university with Jagmeet Singh in the late 1990s.

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