---
title: "Scott McInnis running for Conservative Party in Columbia River-Revelstoke"
description: "Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Scott McInnis rejoined the Conservative Party of BC on September 21, a day before Premier David Eby called the provincial election, after spending about two and a half weeks as an independent."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/scott-mcinnis-conservative-columbia-river-revelstoke-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:07:01.326Z"
---

Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA [Scott McInnis](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/scott-mcinnis) is running for re-election as a Conservative Party of BC candidate in the October 24 provincial election. The Columbia Valley Pioneer reported on October 2 that McInnis rejoined the party on September 21, one day before Premier David Eby called the election.

McInnis had spent about two and a half weeks as an independent MLA before his return. The Columbia Valley Pioneer reported that he left the Conservative caucus in early September, citing concerns with the direction of the party under then-leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay. He was one of nine Conservative MLAs who left the party over the summer of 2026.

The sequence of events moved quickly. On September 20, Findlay resigned as party leader and Lorne Doerkson was appointed as interim leader. McInnis announced he was rejoining the Conservatives on September 21, on invitation from Doerkson. The provincial election was called on September 22.

The Pioneer reported that it attempted to reach McInnis for comment but could not do so before its publication deadline. Former Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Doug Clovechok, who the Pioneer described as a mentor to McInnis before the 2024 election, spoke with the paper instead. Clovechok described McInnis's decision as "a carefully thought out decision to come back."

The Pioneer reported that McInnis has said he believes in building a party that represents a majority of British Columbians without what he described as ideological purity tests. He noted, according to the same report, that no party has defeated the NDP since 1952 without assembling a broad coalition.

The Columbia River-Revelstoke riding is in the interior of British Columbia. The full candidate list for the riding, including any additional nominees added before the October 3 deadline, will appear at [/bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/columbia-river-revelstoke](/bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/columbia-river-revelstoke).

Nominations for the October 24 election close October 3, 2026 at 1 p.m. Pacific time. The confirmed candidate list for Columbia River-Revelstoke and all other ridings will be available at [/bc/provincial-2026/candidates](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates) after that point.

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