Article content

OTTAWA — The Conservative leadership race could turn into a bit of a revolving door, with Tony Clement exiting Wednesday due to “the financial realities” of the campaign, and Erin O’Toole and Chris Alexander confirming they’re entering the contest.

Clement’s departure from the Conservative leadership race highlights the challenges some hopefuls will face in fundraising, selling memberships and winning caucus support amid a large field of candidates.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Tony Clement drops out of Tory leadership race to avoid 'exposing family to further financial risk' Back to video

Clement announced on his Facebook page and campaign website he’s pulling the plug on a leadership bid that was launched in July, apparently struggling to collect much-needed donations and gain sufficient traction among party faithful and caucus members.

In a video posted to Facebook, Clement said, “it’s very clear that I cannot expose my family to any further financial risk at this time.”

Clement, a longtime former cabinet minister, did not say whether he plans to endorse another candidate.