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A proud Londoner and politics professor at Western University made the announcement Saturday that she is running to become leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Kate Graham says she is preparing for a provincial tour in hopes of connecting with the public and to get a sense of what changes Ontarians would like to see.

“I believe our party and province needs to change the way we do politics, and that only happens when people step up, so that’s exactly what I’m doing.” Tweet This

I believe politics is about working together and running for something you believe in. I believe it's time for change in Ontario politics. That's why I'm running for @OntLiberal Party leadership. Join me. https://t.co/joeLDNNsoJ #KateforLeader #onpoli pic.twitter.com/MRAdPZXb2b — Kate Graham (@KateMarieGraham) September 7, 2019

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Graham ran as a candidate in London North Center in the 2018 provincial election, which was a tough competition for the Liberals.

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“We learned a lot through that race… that appetite is stronger than ever before,” Graham tolds 980 CFPL. “Which is why I would like to see significant changes made within our party, and I’m stepping forward to be a part of that.”

Graham says she’s aware that politics have become “distasteful” for some, with “… [lots of] negativity, and parties who seem to be fighting with each other instead of working with each other … I think people are fed up.”

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Graham’s hoping to show that the Liberal party can do things differently, and implement positive change for the province.

One aspect Graham aims to improve is the cost of tuition for post-secondary school students.

She interacts with students on a regular basis and knows they’re worried about the cost of their education.

“One of the things I’d like to do in this campaign is engage a lot of young people and students, so if there are different things that they’d like to see [get] done, they have the chance to put together that platform and policy.”

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Graham shared the first twelve endorsements – they include names such as Deb Matthews and former president of the Treasury Board Eleanor McMahon.

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The other four candidates vying for the leadership are Michael Coteau, Steven Del Duca, Mitzie Hunter, and Alvin Tedjo.

The 2020 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election is scheduled for March 7, 2020.