When it comes to election expectations, the NDP has a long history of getting ahead of themselves, and the outcome of federal campaigns. The June 28 election, however, promises to be the party’s most competitive since its high-water mark of 43 seats and 20 percent of the popular vote under Ed Broadbent in 1988. After a decade and three elections in the wilderness, the NDP is back with a telegenic and bilingual leader, a full campaign war chest, a motivated party base, and a Liberal legacy of scandal. The danger is that, as in 1988’s free trade election, another opposition party, the Conservatives, will monopolize the conversation on the sponsorship scandal. “Tories do endlessly pounding attack campaigns well,” writes longtime NDP war room strategist Robin Sears. “New Democrats tend to get squeamish after a few days and introduce a new day care policy.” Under Layton, he suggests, this time could be different, provided the NDP leader avoids traps such as laying out his terms for co-operating with a minority Liberal government

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