Cullen optimistic as leadership race nears climax

Northwest B.C.'s entry in the federal NDP leadership race is in an upbeat mood with the finish line in sight.

"Our campaign has been doing very well," Nathan Cullen said Friday from Vancouver during a teleconference with regional media.

"Despite some early assessments that we wouldn't get out of the gate, that we wouldn't make it to the end, we're one of the leading campaigns right now."

The Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP sits third in terms of funds raised and second in terms of the number of donations, according to Elections Canada postings as of Friday.

Cullen has raised $174,571 from 1,624 contributors.

Thomas Mulcair, considered the frontrunner, has raised $226,445 from 1,495 donations, and is followed by Brian Topp with $204,268 from 1,126 contributors.

Martin Singh sits sixth out of the seven in the dollar total at $56,690, but raised that amount from 6,106 supporters according to his submission to Elections Canada.

"We're still an underdog, we appreciate that," Cullen said. "We're not a big institutional campaign, but we've been having a lot of fun, we've been speaking truth to power and enjoying it."

Three-quarters of his support has come from B.C., the province with the most federal NDP members, but Cullen maintained the proportion has declined as the campaign has progressed.

The leadership convention is set for March 23, 24 in Montreal.

If he wins, Cullen said he'll still have time for his home riding and is bracing himself for an onslaught from the governing Conservatives.

"Look, I know Conservatives," Cullen said.

"I beat a Conservative to get into the House of Commons and that's generally our competition in the northwest and I've been in parliament for eight years so it's not as if I'm new to the place.

"I know exactly what their plans will be and they'll be prepared to do just about anything to sully my good name so I will be coming at it pretty hard but also speaking from a much more hopeful place.

"I don't think we need more anger and more cynicism in our politics. I think we need something entirely different."

If he loses, Cullen said there will be stock taking.

"The question will be 'what do we do with all that energy and all those motivated people?,'" Cullen said of the support he's mustered. "And trust me when I say this, there is a lot of them."