Olivia Chow has officially registered to run in the Toronto mayoral race.
Her campaign CFO Bill Cronau filed the papers on her behalf this afternoon at city hall.
Olivia Chow resigned her seat as the NDP MP for Trinity-Spadina on Wednesday morning.
The New Democrat’s letter of resignation was delivered to the office of the Speaker of the House of Commons at 9 a.m.
University of Toronto political scientist Nelson Wiseman says her mayoral campaign has been the worst-kept political secret in the country.
“She’s actually been setting the stage for this for at least a couple of years, so it’s absolutely no surprise whatever,” Wiseman told 680News.
“The biggest surprise would have been had she elected not to run.”
With Chow’s resignation, a byelection will most likely be held in Trinity-Spadina in the near future.
“We of course wish Ms. Chow well in her future endeavours,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office said.
Chow will be talking about her candidacy for the first time at 11 a.m. on Thursday in St. Jamestown, where she grew up. She will be speaking in the parish hall of St. Simon-the-Apostle Church, at 525 Bloor St. E.
The former MP has a long history in Toronto politics. She was the first Asian woman elected to metro council in 1991 and then re-elected five times in Trinity-Spadina before being elected to the House of Commons in 2006.
Chow’s late husband was former NDP leader Jack Layton and her stepson is current Toronto councillor Mike Layton.
Chow is considered a front-runner in the already crowded field that includes Mayor Rob Ford, one-time provincial Conservative leader and former mayoral candidate John Tory, Coun. Karen Stintz and former councillor David Soknacki.
“With Jack’s passing, she had to make a decision about where she wanted to go with her future. Did she want to stay on as an MP, or did she want to return to Toronto and devote her life to the city that she basically grew up in,” 680News Parliament Hill reporter Cormac MacSweeney said.
Chow’s campaign will involve New Democrats like James Heath and Brian Topp, who were key to late Layton’s success in the federal arena.
But it will be headed by veteran Conservative strategist John Laschinger, who masterminded David Miller’s successful mayoral campaigns, while her war room will be run by well-known Liberal Warren Kinsella.
Laschinger has also been at the centre of federal and provincial campaigns, while Kinsella has worked mainly with Liberal campaigns at the federal and provincial level, including the terms of former prime minister Jean Chretien and former provincial premier David Peterson.
My last day as a MP. Proud of my record & the work we did. Lots of fond memories. Grateful to people of TrinitySpadina for letting me serve.
— Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) March 12, 2014
On Tuesday, Heath told The Canadian Press the former city councillor will be the only “progressive” contender in the already crowded race.
“We think there are two candidates who can appeal to sort of blue collar, regular voters in Toronto, one of whom is Rob Ford and one of whom is Olivia Chow,” Heath said in an interview.
“We don’t see John Tory being able to connect with them. We think Olivia can.”
Chow has already garnered endorsements from other non-New Democrats, including former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister and one-time mayoral contender George Smitherman.
The municipal election will be held on Oct. 27.
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With files from Cormac MacSweeney, 680News