Elvis impersonator makes third bid to win Ontario seat
Published Monday October 13th, 2008
NEWMARKET, Ont. - Elvis impersonator, Anglican preacher, and federal election candidate Dorian Baxter is quick to point out that his version of the King of Rock 'n' Roll has not left the building.
"I think voters should be aware of this song, It's Now or Never.
"I want them to put me in now, and they'll never regret it," Baxter said during an interview last week.
"In terms of electing an Elvis impersonator into the House of Commons, I have to remind people, Elvis has not left the building.
"He wants to get into the building - the Parliament building."
Baxter, an ordained priest and former school teacher, is the leader of a breakaway Anglican church that's been housed for the past five years inside a veteran's hall in Newmarket, north of Toronto.
Known as Elvis Priestly, Baxter is making a third bid to move from the pulpit to federal politics in Newmarket-Aurora, the Ontario riding held by Belinda Stronach since its inception in 2004.
Stronach, who famously crossed the floor from Conservative to Liberal during her time in politics, isn't running for re-election and is instead returning to the auto parts empire founded by her father.
Former Aurora mayor Tim Jones has taken up the Liberal banner and businesswoman Lois Brown is contesting the riding for the Conservatives.
The pundits predict it will be a tight race between the two.
While Baxter is no longer wearing colourful Elvis jumpsuits as he campaigns door to door - he did so in 2004 - he still has the tell-tale pork-chop sideburns Presley sported in Las Vegas during the '70s.
The race four years ago also saw Baxter comb his hair into an Elvis pompadour and incorporate election-themed songs inspired by the King.
Baxter has literally changed his tune this time around.
His advisers prefer that he downplay the Elvis caricature, so there's not a blue suede shoe in sight.
Hitting the hustings last week, Baxter wore a button-up shirt and a priest's collar as he walked down a busy Newmarket street full of quaint shops.
He stopped people to pass out his leaflet, which both pictures him with an Elvis pompadour and with his hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Still, Baxter can't seem to resist the Elvis quips.
Nearly every conversation ends with a God bless and a "thank you, thank you very much," in that unmistakable baritone drawl.
The message, Baxter insists, remains the same: a blend of fiscal responsibility and balanced social spending.
It's the hallmark of a red Tory philosophy that's rooted in the political party Baxter draws from.
Baxter is running under the PC banner - Progressive Canadian.
He was hand-picked by former cabinet minister Sinclair Stevens to help revive the spirit of the Progressive Conservative party. Stevens was a staunch opponent of the merger with the Canadian Alliance that created the governing Conservative Party of Canada.
As he campaigns, Baxter tells prospective voters he represents the PC party. On voting day, Baxter says the ballots will have the abbreviation PC by his name.
Baxter finished in fifth place and well behind the Green Party in the 2006 election with 729 votes - capturing around one per cent of the popular vote.
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