Christy Clark and Adrian Dix may not agree on much but their campaign managers seem to be using the same playbook.
Both the Liberal and NDP leaders spent the first 48 hours of their campaign by heading into friendly territory to motivate party loyalists.
Dix has stayed mostly on Vancouver Island so far, where the NDP is expected to dominate. The Liberals have turned their back on the Island so much that they still haven't bothered to name a candidate yet for the Nanaimo-North Cowichan constituency.
Education minister Don McRae is going to try hard to hold onto his Comox Valley seat for the Liberals but he's in for an uphill battle. It was a good spot for Dix to make his first foray into Liberal turf Thursday, stopping in Courtenay - the middle of McRae's riding - to launch his education plan.
McRae didn't take it lying down. He showed up at the Dix announcement to boast of the accomplishments of his party on the education front. For reporters, it was a story served on a platter, with a photo of the two men together to boot.
Meanwhile, Clark couldn't wait to get off the Island after fulfilling her obligation as Premier on Tuesday, meeting with the Lieutenant-Governor to dissolve the legislature and declaring the election.
By Wednesday morning, she was making her way through the Fraser Valley, before heading up to Merritt and Kamloops. On Thursday, she spent her morning in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek before motoring down to Prince George to fire up the troops working for Mike Morris and Shirley Bond.
There are practical reasons for both Dix and Clark to play to their strengths first. They're going to give variations of the same stump speech for the next four weeks, so it's best to test those speeches out among the party faithful, sharpening up the good spots and cutting out the bad, before diving into less-welcoming waters.
It's also a chance to work on their sound bites with the media. Variations of those responses will appear as their answers during the televised all-candidates debate set for April 29.
It may seem like a sprint to May 14 but inside the campaign, it's actually a grueling marathon. Neither Dix nor Clark nor anyone in their immediate camp will enjoy anything more than a handful of hours of sleep each night as they fight for every vote in every riding.
On the surface, that would appear to favour Clark, who clearly enjoys being in the spotlight, smiling constantly and chatting up a storm on the hustings. She seems both fearless and tireless, despite the apparently massive odds against her not only keeping the Liberals in power but even winning her own seat in Vancouver-Point Grey. By the force of her will and her personal energy, she will fight to the very end, leading by example and keeping her candidates and her supporters motivated to do the same.
But a tough campaign actually favours Dix, who doesn't have to work as hard, which could play in his favour as the campaign wears on. So long as the poll numbers hold and nothing worse happens than a poorly chosen Okanagan candidate (who didn't have a prayer of winning in a Liberal stronghold, anyway), Dix can play it safe with his lead and run out the clock. If he needs to, he'll have the personal energy for a late push.
Both Clark and Dix proved in their respective leadership campaigns that they have what it takes to go the distance and come out on top in tough, hotly-contested battles for power.
But a general election is a much harder hill to climb than convincing card-carrying party members. And this is B.C. politics after all - anything could happen and probably will between now and May 14.
But not yet.
First, a few days of careful, predictable moves from both camps.
