Someone in Mike de Jong's campaign team has jumped the gun, announcing the attorney general's leadership intentions on Facebook the night before he's expected to officially enter the race.
Early Tuesday evening, a Facebook site appeared in de Jong's name, including a campaign poster reading: "Mike for premier," and advertising him as "currently running for premier."
According to the site, the MLA's slogan will be "A fresh start for B.C."
Don McDonald, a spokesman for de Jong, told ctvbc.ca that the early launch was the result of the "enthusiasm" of a campaign volunteer.
"We have some pretty enthusiastic volunteers, and it's gone up a little sooner than we expected," McDonald said.
De Jong had scheduled a press conference for Wednesday morning, when it was believed he would announce his leadership bid.
McDonald said the Facebook site will stay online, but that de Jong won't officially announce his candidacy until the press conference.
Discipline for the enthusiastic volunteer doesn't seem likely.
"I'm never going to discount enthusiasm in a political campaign," McDonald said.
The campaign to lead the BC Liberals was slow to pick up candidates after Premier Gordon Campbell announced his resignation on Nov. 3.
But the race has gained momentum in the past week, with Kevin Falcon, George Abbott and Moira Stilwell all resigning their cabinet positions and launching their campaigns.
Last week, former deputy premier and radio host Christy Clark said she was considering throwing her hat into the ring, and was taking a vacation to weigh her options.
The party will vote on Gordon Campbell's successor on Feb. 26, 2011.
