It's very fitting that one of the candidates seeking to become the Sea to Sky corridor's next representative in Ottawa has set up his local office in a boxing ring.
This is going to be the dirtiest federal election campaign in decades - mainly because it's the first time in more than a decade where the outcome is far from certain.
The federal Liberals actually face a threat of losing their majority - an outcome that was unthinkable even six months ago as Prime Minister Paul Martin took over.
That makes every race important - even in B.C., where the election is usually decided before the polls close out east.
Here in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast, what should be an easy repeat for Conservative MP John Reynolds just might not be such a walk in the park.
With more than half the riding in blue-blooded West Vancouver, the Tories have a natural edge, and parties like the Greens and the NDP can really only hope to get enough votes to win their deposits back. But the Sunshine Coast, Powell River and the Sea to Sky corridor are not naturally conservative areas, and Liberal candidate Blair Wilson has been working the outlying areas doggedly ever since he sought his party's nomination. If Wilson can make any inroads into Reynolds' West Van base, it's a real race.
But, as always in Canadian politics, the local candidates' fortunes are largely determined despite their own efforts. If the Conservative campaign succeeds in associating Martin with the waste and scandal of his predecessors, Wilson is sunk. If the Liberals succeed in scaring Canadians with the prospect of a hard-right Stephen Harper government, Reynolds might be in trouble at home.
Reynolds' position as national campaign co-chair for the Conservatives in this campaign is also a double-edged sword. While he won't be seen in the riding as much as his challengers, constituents may instead see their candidate on the nightly news - as he was on Sunday after the writ was dropped.
But even that exposure can work both ways. If Reynolds puts his foot in his mouth on national TV - or even if he's forced to defend a gaffe by his leader - his personal stock can plummet. Add to that some hard local campaigning by Wilson and for once, the race in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast is a little too close to call yet.
The last factor is you, the voter - or non-voter. While the polls can predict what people are thinking, the only poll that counts in the one that people participate in on June 28.
For the next four weeks, we're going to try to bring the big issues to our level and give you the information you need to make your decision.
Then it's up to you.
