Radio host, author Andrew Lawton seeks CPC nomination in southern Ontario riding

A longtime conservative radio host and journalist has thrown his hat into the ring to win the Conservative Party of Canada's nomination in a London, Ont.-area riding, one day after the incumbent announced she was not seeking re-election.

«An opportunity arose, and I reflected on it with family, I prayed on it, and I've reached the decision I'm sharing with you now,» Andrew Lawton said Wednesday on his eponymous radio show.

«I've spent my whole career advocating for conservatism, for freedom, for common sense,» he said. «As I've looked at the political landscape, and I've thought about the way that I can best serve, this is an opportunity that I do not want to pass up.»

Lawton is seeking the nomination in the new riding of Elgin-St. Thomas-London South after Karen Vecchio announced Tuesday she would not be running again.

The Conservative party had announced her candidacy for the next election as recently as June 12.

Speaking to a local radio station, Vecchio said that by the next election, slated for 2025, she will have served 10 years. She said she believes politicians have expiry dates and that it was time for her to exit federal politics.

Lawton has made headlines for his new book, a biography of Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre released in May. The book has cemented Lawton as an influential figure in a rejuvenated Canadian conservative movement that appears to be climbing in public opinion.

It tracks Poilievre's beginnings to his first year as party leader, a position he took over in September 2022.

Will take on-air break

Lawton has also served as managing editor for True North, a right-wing news and media outlet.

On his radio show Wednesday, he said he will be taking a leave of absence from his on-air work as well