Prime Minister Stephen Harper may not want to speculate about an early election call... but at this point, he doesn't really have to.

The speculation is more than rife that the writ will be drawn up as early as Sunday or Monday, plunging Canada into its longest federal election campaign in nearly a century.

Of course, you could be forgiven for thinking that the race is already underway, given the ads and electioneering already on display from all parties.

But once it does become official, the length of this campaign will surely become its defining characteristic. It's going to be a marathon, and it remains to be seen which party and which leader that will benefit the most come election day — still nearly 80 days away.

We were joined by three people getting set to watch that marathon:

Gerry Nicholls , a columnist with the Hill Times and a communications consultant

, a columnist with the Hill Times and a communications consultant Peter Loewen , a political science professor at the University of Toronto

, a political science professor at the University of Toronto Kathleen Monk, a consultant and former Director of Strategic Communications for Jack Layton

How do you think each party will be affected by the long campaign road? Let us know on Twitter @TheCurrentCBC, Facebook, or via email.

This segment was produced by The Current's Sarah Grant, Ines Colabrese, Amil Niazi, and Marc Apollonio.