But the man the federal Conservatives have hired to run their next election campaign comes with baggage that Scheer himself now wants to avoid — a connection to media outlet The Rebel. Like most campaign managers, the bespectacled and baby-faced Marshall stayed behind the scenes during Scheer's leadership race. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Conservative Party tried to emphasize that positivity, noting officials are "incredibly excited to have him in this role." During the 2008 election campaign, where the Conservatives increased their seat count but still fell shy of a majority government, Marshall was the campaign pollster. Instead, Marshall has worked on Brian Jean's campaign to lead Alberta's new United Conservative Party.

Source: CBC News October 18, 2017 00:00 UTC