First-time election candidates adjust to life on the trail

Becoming a political candidate for the first time is a big step for anyone.

While many candidates have years of experience, everyone has to start somewhere.

A pair of new Regina candidates come from very different walks of life, but both are doing their best to adjust to life on the campaign trail.

Derek Meyers, the Saskatchewan Party candidate for Regina Walsh Acres, is running for the first time.

He spent nearly 10 years as a sports reporter for Global, but is looking for a new adventure. The campaign lifestyle has been quite the eye-opener for him.

“I feel like it’s a bit like Groundhog Day. You wake up, shower, come in here (to campaign headquarters), answer some questions that our team got last night … knock the doors, have a bite to eat, knock some more doors, go home, sleep, rinse and repeat,” he said.

It has been two weeks since the writ dropped, and Meyers is happy with the response he has seen so far out on the doorstep.

“The support has been amazing … you have different conversations every day … so every day within that framework of Groundhog Day is something new, and that’s what’s exciting. That’s what gets me going every day,” he continued.

Derek Meyers, the Saskatchewan Party candidate for Regina Walsh Acres. (Derek Meyers/Submitted)

However, campaigning takes up a lot of time. It means he doesn’t get to see his family much, which can be difficult for him.

“It takes a team here at the office, but it takes a really special team back at home,” Meyers said. “They often have to make sacrifices too … My partner and our four-year-old, I see them in the morning and I see them at night before we go to bed, but not for very long either time. It really takes a special team at home to support you, but it really helps me knowing that they’re there.”

He believes the challenges are worth it to pursue a seat in the Legislature and develop his passion for politics.

“I’ve always been kind of a political junkie. Right back to elementary school, I remember doing my first oratory speech. It was on the JFK assassination, so I’ve always had an intrigue,” he said.

“I don’t feel pressure. I just feel like this is what needs to be done.”

Meyers said the transition from sports TV hasn’t been difficult. He actually believes it felt very natural.

“Elections, they keep score,” he said. “So it goes hand in hand for sports guys; we’re always keeping score on stuff.”

He’s also able to use his work in the media as an ice-breaker when showing up on the doorstep to talk to possible voters.

“You’re a stranger showing up on the door … But at the same time when you’re in their living room up on the TV, (people) feel like they know you,” Meyers said. “There is a bit of a connection, so it does help get the door open, but then we have to have the conversation. Just getting the door open isn’t enough.”

Bhajan Brar, the NDP candidate for Regina Pasqua. (Dominick Lucyk/980 CJME)

The NDP’s Bhajan Brar is also hitting the trail for the first time. He’s running in Regina Pasqua.

Originally from India, Brar is making the transition from working as an electrical engineer to politics.

It’s not often you see someone in their first campaign at age 70, but Brar said long days of door-knocking and hammering down signs don’t bother him.

“I don’t consider myself old. If you ask me, I’m a 20 year old boy with a half-century of experience,” he said with a laugh.

Plus, he still thinks he’s in great shape.

“On the treadmill, I run eight kilometres in 40 minutes,” he continued.

Making the move to politics hasn’t been much of a system shock to him. He has done volunteer work with Canadian Blood Services and the food bank, as well as on both federal and provincial campaigns.

However, in signing up as a candidate, he said he hopes to have a more direct impact.

“Instead of dealing with pressure from politics, I thought, ‘Why not get into politics and get the job done right?’ ” Brar said.

Learning about new ways of reaching voters has been an interesting experience and a challenge for him. Navigating the digital landscape of social media is something he’s working on.

He has a Facebook page, though he isn’t yet on Twitter.

Still, he would rather stick to the old-fashioned way.

“My experience is instead of social media, I go personally,” he said. “It’s much more impressive.”

The provincial election is scheduled for Oct. 26.