Philip Brown unlikely to enter P.E.I. PC leadership race

Philip Brown was out on the second ballot in the Progressive Conservative nomination race in the P.E.I. district of Summerside-Wilmot, and that means he is almost certainly out ofthe party's leadership race.

Brown told CBC News if he won the nomination and the byelection he would run for the leadership. But the nomination went to Brian Ramsay.

• Ramsay grabs PC nomination for Summerside-Wilmot byelection

After the second ballot, Brown said he does not see a way for him to run for the party leadership now.

"Really no. You have to get inside of the rail," he said.

"I feel the next leader has to be a member of the legislative assembly and has to be inside of the assembly in orderto be effective. I was using this as an opportunity to enter the assembly. I would have needed to do that in order to be a strong candidate."

Political experience required, says Brown

Brown said it is unlikely there will be another opportunity for him to become an MLA before the next general election.

Brown, who was a cabinet minister in the last Progressive Conservative government under Pat Binns, said it is important for the next leader to have political experience.

The PC leadership opened up when Rob Lantz resigned after failing to win his seat in the provincial election in the spring of 2015.

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