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Most important from the party’s point of view, she looks like the candidate best placed to beat Wynne.

To do that the provincial Tories must stay united, they need to have moderate policies that appeal beyond their core voting group and they need to be inclusive, appealing to visible minorities and women.

A Progressive Conservative majority will require married women with children to vote for them in their droves.

Photo by Frank Gunn/CP

A glance at the already released platform suggests everything the party has done thus far has been tailored to appealing to this demographic. It contains a child care refund, new childcare spaces, a caregiver tax credit, reduced hydro bills and a middle class tax cut – all paid for with the proceeds of a carbon tax.

Polls suggest women voters were already warming to the idea of a PC government – typically one in three women said they intended to vote Conservative, versus one in five for the Liberals.

But Mulroney would broaden that appeal further still.

Ford has already indicated that party unity is not his top priority. “I can’t watch the party I love fall into the hands of the elites,” he said. “The elites have shut the door on the grassroots, the foundation of our party.”

It would be no surprise if he campaigns on ditching the carbon tax commitment – which would probably be popular with much of the PC base. But if he did, the whole platform would be unfunded and collapse in on itself.

Ford did remarkably well in 2014, winning 20 of the city’s 44 wards. His folksy style appeals to the kind of folks who think the swamp should be drained. Launching his campaign from his mom’s basement was genius.

But he’s a bull who travels with his own china shop and the PCs don’t have time to pick up the pieces.

They spent six months customizing a platform to appeal to the median voter. Many conservatives, including Ford, will think it’s a sell-out.

In truth, much of it reads like a blatant electoral bribe – hello, $500 winter tire tax credit.

But the polls suggest many Ontarians have reached the conclusion that the Liberals are too old, too tired and too expensive.

Mulroney would present a modern, moderate alternative.

• Email: jivison@nationalpost.com | Twitter: IvisonJ