WI: Stephen Harper Runs For PC Leadership in 1998

After Charest's resignation, one of the candidates often mentioned was Stephen Harper, who at the time was a former Reform MP who had broke with the party over social issues and was president of the NCC. As early as 1995, Tories and Reformists upset with Charest/Manning's leadership we're considering having a united conservative party with Harper as leader.

Harper said that he seriously considered running but it would "burn bridges to those Reformers with whom I worked for many years." To have him as leader, Joe Clark's would have to decide not to run. If he ran, would he have a shot at winning? Would an earlier POD (like Harper defecting to the PCs during the dispute over social issues) he required? Would an earlier PC-Reform merger happen? How would the next election look?
 
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