TORONTO

Rob Ford’s health struggle comes just as the field of candidates in the mayor’s race is about to be finalized.

As Ford continues his hospital stay to deal with a tumour discovered Wednesday, the mayor also finds himself with just hours to decide whether he wants to remain fighting the political battle he’s waged all year and keep his name on the ballot for the Oct. 27 election.

The deadline to register to enter the race is Friday at 2 p.m. That’s also the deadline for withdrawing a candidate’s name from the election.

Anyone registered to run after 2 p.m. on Friday — even if they drop out of the race later — will be on the ballot.

Doug Ford — the mayor’s brother and campaign manager — wouldn’t speculate on Wednesday night about whether the mayor’s tumour will impact his re-election campaign.

Mayor Ford registered to run on Jan. 2 — the first day it was possible to register for the municipal election.

Doug Ford may also facing a political choice this week in the midst of the family health scare.

If Rob Ford drops out of the race or is forced out of the race due to his health, Doug Ford would also have to decide by 2 p.m. on Friday if he wants to run in the mayor’s stead and try to rally Ford Nation.

If Doug Ford did register to run he would have a cash advantage in the last weeks of the campaign.

A Doug Ford campaign would be considered entirely separate from his brother’s election bid under the city’s rules — anything Rob Ford’s campaign has already spent wouldn’t count towards the $1.3 million spending limit of a Doug Ford mayoral campaign.

Councillor Joe Mihevc — an outspoken critic of the Ford administration — hoped the tumour was benign and that the mayor would return to the campaign trail.

“We want to have that public debate about whether we want ‘Ford more years’ or not and he needs to be a part of it,” Mihevc said Thursday. “Being out of the action is not good for him on a personal level and it is not good for this city on a political level.”

Mihevc said the biggest voting block in the city right now is “anybody but Ford” so if Ford doesn’t return to the mayor’s race it would change the dynamics and could lead to an Olivia Chow victory.

“If John Tory and Olivia could square off and both actually put out their platforms I think it could be a different race,” Mihevc said. “I think that’s Olivia’s road to success if by having Rob Ford put to the side and measuring both these candidates right beside each other. In that campaign, I think Olivia wins.

“I think four years ago Toronto voted Rob Ford out of anger. I think a lot of voting for John Tory will be based on fear, fear of Rob Ford. And I would submit to you that voting for Olivia is a voting of hope and I think that hope has yet to come out in this campaign.”

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