Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross admits his election race will “come down to the wire” as he faces off against the SNP in one of Scotland’s biggest election battles tomorrow night.
He met activists in Inverurie on Wednesday on the eve of what polls suggest will be a dismal set of results for the party across the UK.
But he wouldn’t be drawn on how many seats would constitute a success north of the border, or on what the future holds if he is not elected.
Meanwhile, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes was in Keith with SNP candidate Seamus Logan on the day before voters go to the polls.
She was keen to highlight the SNP are the only realistic challengers to Mr Ross.
Mr Ross has faced a bruising campaign personally since putting himself forward to stand in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East in place of David Duguid.
He suffered a spinal illness in April and remains in hospital where he is undergoing rehabilitation, but the party ruled it was not viable for him to stand despite his wishes to do so.
‘Going to come down to the wire’
Focussing on the election, Mr Ross told the P&J he has been “encouraged” by the response on the doors.
“I’ve heard from voters directly who haven’t always supported the Scottish Conservatives but know this race is going to come down to the wire”, he said.
“And they don’t want a nationalist who will go down to Westminster, create grievance and simply agitate to separate Scotland from the rest of the UK.”
The Scottish Conservative leader has been urging voters to tactically vote for his party since the start of the campaign to beat the SNP and prevent independence.
Polls show the seat is a two-horse race between the Tories and the SNP and it is one of the most eagerly anticipated results of the election in Scotland.
The SNP’s candidate, Seamus Logan, said his campaign has been about “much more” than independence, including support for the fishing, farming and oil and gas sectors.
“I’m feeling very optimistic, a bit excited, and a bit nervous”, he told the P&J.
“I’ve got faith in the people of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East that they will think someone who lives there is someone that should represent the area.”
Mr Ross appeared keen to separate the Scottish Tory campaign from that being run south of the border by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
He said: “We had quite a separate campaign in fairness.
“I think it’s one that has been focused on the issues here in Scotland.”
Duguid: Events have ‘taken toll’
Meanwhile, in a social media post on Wednesday, Mr Duguid said he “had a plan” to run his campaign remotely while he continued to recover at hospital in Glasgow.
“I’d be lying if I said the events of the last few weeks haven’t taken their toll on myself and my family,” he wrote.
“But no matter what the future may hold I remain as determined as ever to continue my recovery and rehabilitation.
“I am pleased to report that I continue to make progress daily and I’d like to thank everyone again for their messages of support.”
Mr Ross has yet to speak to Mr Duguid by phone but the pair have messaged.
Mr Ross said: “It’s encouraging that he’s been able to start taking a couple of steps. I think that’s very good progress and we all want to focus on his recovery and rehabilitation.
Mr Ross has already confirmed he will stand down as leader of the Scottish Conservatives after the election.Â
Should he win the seat, he will also stand down as MSP for the Highlands and Islands.
Asked whether he would remain as a backbencher at Holyrood if he loses out to the SNP on election night, he said: “I’m passionate about being a representative politician.
“I’ve done that since 2007. Previously I was passionate about farming, and I still am, but that’s kind of moved on for me, and politics is what I’ve focused several years of my life on and I want to continue to do that.”
Polls open tomorrow, and you can keep up to date with all our election coverage on our dedicated page here.
Conversation