Alberta Liberal leadership race in limbo after Crouse cancels campaign

The race for the leadership of Alberta's Liberal Party remains in limbo after the only candidate in the campaign dropped out, two days before the nomination deadline.

Nolan Crouse, the mayor of St. Albert, announced his decision to end his campaign on his websiteon Wednesday night.

However, Gwyneth Midgley, executive director of the Liberal party, said the race isn't over yet.

Two last-minute Calgary candidates,Kerry Cundal and David Khan, are vying to enter the campaign, CBC News has confirmed.

Both have filed paperwork and the party is working to verify them as candidates.

The deadline for nominations is Friday at 5 p.m.

• NolanCrousedrops out of Alberta Liberal leadership race

"They have taken our papers and are in the process of getting signatures and all the things that you need to do to complete the nomination process," Midgley told CBC News on Thursday.

"Whether they hand their papers in by Friday at 5 p.m. and are approved as candidates is another matter, but I believe we will have at least one candidate by Friday."

Crouse officially became a candidate on March 1 after interim leader David Swann announced he that he would be stepping down.

Crouse said his reasons for withdrawing from the campaign"will be kept private and I will provide 'no comment' as to these varied questions and associated speculation."

The party is planning to announce the winner on June 4.

"If we just have one candidate, we'll deal with it that way, and if we have a race, we have a race," said Midgley.

"We would have liked to have a race that was exciting for the party members and [would] build the party, but if we don't we'll move on and keep building."

David Swann has been the party's interim leader for the past two years. He was the only Liberal elected to the legislative assembly in the May 2015 provincial election.