For the first time ever, Manitoba's premier will be a woman.

The race is on between Heather Stefanson and Shelly Glover to take the seat of Manitoba's next leader. On Thursday afternoon, the PC Party of Manitoba announced the two are officially in the running.

"It's official - Manitoba will soon have its first female premier! Our Party will select its new leader on October 30th," the party tweets.

To officially run for the party election, candidates needed to sell at least one thousand new members to the part, gather $25,000 for the entry fee, and get the nominations of 50 party members in good standing. 

There is also an interview process and a detailed application that needed to have been completed and passed. 

“This is a rigorous application process that embodies a broad range of factors, all of which have been carefully considered," George Orle, Q.C., chair of the LEC says in a statement. “It’s an exciting time for us to engage Manitobans to elect the next Premier of Manitoba, and we look forward to an enthusiastic campaign.”

Party members will cast a vote by mail.

Shannon Martin previously announced his bid but was not named as a final candidate.

"We swung for the fences, & while we may have come up short, we tried, we stepped up," Martin wrote on Facebook Wednesday.

Ken Lee, who intended to run, says he was rejected by the party without explanation.

"I can honestly say that I do not know the reason why I have been denied a place on the upcoming ballot," Lee writes on Facebook. "My biggest disappointment is that I will no longer be able to carry your voice for freedom and try to make changes that would help."

 

Kelvin Goertzen is filling the role of Interim Premier until October 30 after Brian Pallister resigned in the middle of his term this summer.

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