With the news of Andrew Wilkinson stepping down, the Liberal MLA-elects in the Kamloops area aren’t saying whether they will run to replace him.

Kamloops-South Thompson MLA-elect Todd Stone isn’t saying whether he’ll run for party leadership. He was one of eight Liberal members who ran for leadership in 2018, after Christy Clark resigned.

“I will say that I love what I do, I certainly am not going anywhere anytime soon. And there’s a heck of a lot of work to do to rebuild this party, and figure out how we become more relevant to voters in every corner of the province, and not simply here in the Interior and the north.”

Peter Milobar is about to start a second term as MLA, and is so far mum about potential leaderships plans as well.

“Have I ever really thought it all the way through? No. Would any politician say in the back of their mind they haven’t ever thought of this or that? Possibly. But it’s so far off my radar screen. That said, I ran for council and didn’t think I’d be running for mayor until I got into the job and really liked it.”

Milobar says regardless of who the next leader is, the party needs to recalibrate in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island while maintaining its presence in rural B.C.

And Fraser-Nicola MLA-elect Tegart is entering her third term, although she hasn’t declared a victory just yet. Regardless, she says party leadership is not in her plans.

“Leadership comes in very many places within the party. So I wouldn’t say I’m not going to participate in that, but to run for the leadership is not in my mind at this time.”

Wilkinson announced on Monday he will be stepping down “as soon as a new leader is chosen,” after the party’s worst election result since 1991. He did not make clear whether he intended to step down as MLA in his riding of Vancouver-Quilchena as well.