Former Conservative cabinet minister Lisa Raitt’s Cape Breton roots may help her secure most of the party’s Atlantic Canadian membership — and if she runs for the leadership, she will be the most ‘human’ candidate, strategists suggest.

Raitt announced Friday morning that she’s dropping her opposition critic role — a move that has become the last major indicator of a leadership bid among her caucus colleagues.

“To ensure full attention, I am stepping aside as Finance Critic while I continue discussions on the future leadership of the party,” Raitt tweeted early Friday morning.

Not long after Raitt made the announcement, her caucus and former cabinet colleague Erin O’Toole launched his own leadership bid. The officially registered candidates in the race are MPs Maxime Bernier, Andrew Scheer, Kellie Leitch, Michael Chong, Deepak Obhrai and Brad Trost. Tony Clement dropped out of the race on Tuesday.

Conservative strategist and vice chairman of Summa Strategies Tim Powers says Raitt’s roots likely will play well in Cape Breton and across the country.

It’s the story of a girl from Whitney Pier who became a corporate lawyer and a federal cabinet minister, raised children and is dealing with struggles of her own — including her husband’s health — and because of all of these different elements, Raitt “may be looking like the most human candidate of all conservative candidates,” Powers said, citing Raitt’s likability as an advantage.

In a political landscape dominated by a U.S. presidential campaign in which authenticity has been a scarce commodity and a Conservative leadership race short on relatable candidates, Raitt is known for possessing both qualities.

Other Tories have also cited Raitt’s sense of humour — characterized by a habit of taking her job, but not herself, too seriously and of managing to finesse the political sweet spot of always being ready with a quip for reporters and on social media without stumbling into gaffe territory — as an asset that separates her from the pack.

Will Stewart, a managing partner at Navigator who served as Raitt’s riding president and chair during her first two campaigns, thinks her chances of winning are “pretty good.”

“She’s very much a Cape Bretoner — a Maritimer, at heart — it’s not that she’s picked up and moved away and forgot about roots,” he said, jokingly adding that her campaign team in Milton, Ont. had to frequently remind her that she’s represents that riding — not Cape Breton.

“I think it’s going to benefit her quite a bit given Peter MacKay is not in, I think Atlantic Canada is really up for grabs in this leadership [race] and I think it’s hers to take at this point,” Stewart said.

And if she decides to jump in the race, said Stewart suggested she’s just the kind of candidate Conservatives are looking for.

Stewart cited her experience as a lawyer, Canada’s first female harbour master, and her cabinet roles as just some examples of experience that conservatives value.

He said she’s demonstrated that she’s not a blue tory or a red tory – she’s a “public policy conservative.” Raitt takes time to understand issues before making decisions and implementing those decisions, he said.

Powers called her a “top tier” candidate.

In Raitt’s tweets earlier today, she thanked interim leader Rona Ambrose and the Conservative caucus on Twitter for “trusting” her to serve as finance critic this past year.

The question of whether Raitt would enter the race was left up in the air after it emerged that her husband, Bruce Wood, had recently been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Last month in the House of Commons, in recognition of World Alzheimer’s Day, Raitt used her member’s statement to deliver an emotional tribute to those who care for Canadians with Alzheimer’s, a disease Raitt said “many fear.”