Whatever Stephen Harper’s plans are, and regardless of a new EKOS poll showing Conservatives would prefer him over other contenders for next party leader, senior party strategists say there is no chance of a draft Harper movement.

“Stephen Harper would know better than anyone else — for the Conservative Party to turn the page, Stephen Harper knows he can’t be part of the next this leadership race,” said vice-chairman of Summa Strategies, Tim Powers.

Nor would he want to, according to Powers. Harper always pointed out that was it was irritating to see politicians who stepped out of politics continuously stepping back in and being part of debates.

According to results of an poll by EKOS Research, 28 per cent of Conservative supporters say Harper is their preferred choice for next leader of the party. That number drops to 11 per cent among the broader group of 1,176 Canadians surveyed for the poll.

Powers wasn’t surprised by the results among Tory voters because it wasn’t Tories who defeated Harper. He said Conservatives still have a strong fondness for the former PM and there might be a group of people who would like to see him continue and feel frustrated after six months of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

But does Powers see Harper coming into the Conservative leadership race? “Not a chance,” he said.

Keith Beardsley, Conservative consultant and former political advisor, said at this time no real serious contenders have come forward and “Harper’s day has come and gone.”

“Tories should thank him for his extraordinary service but move forward,” Beardsley wrote in an email.

Aside from the fact that Trudeau and the Liberals swept the country last October on an overwhelming desire for change after nearly a decade of Harper’s leadership, Beardsley also said that last week’s verdict in the trial of Senator Mike Duffy, in which judge Charles Vaillancourt delivered a scathing indictment of the Harper PMO’s tactics, has sealed Harper’s disqualification for his old job.

“The Duffy verdict and the remarks on PMO will hang over any attempt to enter the leadership,” he said.

Geoff Norquay, former Harper communications director and a principal at Earnscliffe, said the poll shows the leadership race is still just getting underway and that we can expect the numbers to change once a fuller slate of candidates is in the field.

Powers said he suspects the results are partly due to fans of Harper would want to pay him bit of respect by answering that question in the affirmative.

Regardless, a lot of work has to be done, and the party needs to begin to change and transform before the next election, Powers continued, and it’s not going to happen quickly.