Doug Ford has abandoned his much-trumpeted plan to again seek election as mayor of Toronto, saying he is focusing solely on becoming the next leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.“I will not be running for mayor,” the former city councillor told the Star on Thursday, confirming statements he made in a Wednesday night radio interview.“I just can’t keep going back and forth,” between civic and provincial election campaigns, he said. “I’m going for the (PC) leadership and it is pedal to the metal.” Asked if there is any chance he will reconsider if he fails to win that leadership, Ford responded firmly: “No chance.”Read more: Doug Ford seeks Ontario PC leadership amid party turmoilTories aim for March leadership contest despite party chaos after Brown scandalOpinion | Edward Keenan: Doug Ford cannot lose, and Toronto cannot winAt a “Ford Fest” gathering at his mother’s Etobicoke home last September, Doug Ford announced he would be “running for mayor of Toronto,” to deafening cheers from his “Ford Nation” fans.They anticipated a rematch of 2014, when Ford replaced his ailing brother, the late Rob Ford, in the mayoral race and finished a strong second, getting 330,610 votes to winner John Tory’s 394,775.Ford’s pledge to not register in May as a candidate in the Oct. 22, 2018 civic election leaves Tory — who says he will seek re-election for one more term — with, at the moment, no high-profile challenger on either the political left or right. The news is a surprise to observers who thought Ford might use his exposure campaigning for the PC leadership as a stepping stone, if he fell short, to the mayoral tilt.It’s the latest stunning result of the fall of former Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown, who resigned last Thursday after his caucus demanded he quit in the face of allegations of sexual impropriety from about a decad ...
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