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The Ontario Liberals see the NDP as the greatest threat to their re-election chances, and are crafting a campaign strategy designed to drive down the left-wing partys vote and frame the ballot question as a choice between Premier Kathleen Wynne and Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak.

This is the Grits secret playbook, discussed at a closed-door briefing of hundreds of party organizers two weekends ago, a blueprint for holding on to power in a crucial election that could come this spring. The Globe and Mail obtained a record of the briefing, which identifies NDP Leader Andrea Horwath as a formidable opponent and Mr. Hudak as a leader easily portrayed as a right-wing radical. The Liberals own vulnerability, the briefing says: their spending scandals.

Our challenge in the campaign are the New Democrats, campaign co-chair David Herle told the March 22 session at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto. [They are] eroding our ability to beat Conservatives.

The Liberal game plan is virtually the mirror image of the NDPs sources in that party say they hope to win by siphoning off soft Grit support setting up a hard fight for left-leaning voters.

In the briefing, Mr. Herle told organizers that recent market research shows most Progressive Conservative supporters are solidly committed to their party, while there is far more fluidity among potential Liberal and NDP voters. Especially worrying to the Grits is the NDPs popular Ms. Horwath, whom Mr. Herle dubbed a force to be reckoned with. Even in ridings where the NDP has no chance of winning, he said, Ms. Horwaths party could peel away enough Liberal supporters to allow PC candidates to win.

The Liberals will fight back, Mr. Herle said, characterizing the NDP as incompetent on economic matters and hostile toward business.

The first two weeks of the writ, in particular, will be a fight to determine the ballot question, and he warned organizers to brace for opposition attacks over the governments past scandals. In some cases, he said, the Liberals will simply have to concede they have made mistakes while in office and try to change the focus of the campaign.

The Grits best play, Mr. Herle said, is to frame the debate around the issue of leadership, where they believe Ms. Wynne has an edge. They will sell her as authentic and likeable, and someone with big ideas the new Ontario pension system and a major infrastructure-building plan, for instance. The ultimate goal, he said, is to set up a ballot question that paints Ms. Wynne as a job creator with an ambitious agenda against Mr. Hudak as a radical who will cut health care and education.

Mr. Herle declined to be interviewed, writing in an e-mail: I dont believe in talking publicly about strategy, but I am looking forward to being part of a campaign that will highlight the strong, principled leadership of Kathleen Wynne and her plans for building a stronger future for Ontario.

Campaign director Patricia Sorbara, who co-hosted the session with Mr. Herle, did not respond to a request for comment.

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Ontario Liberals' secret playbook targets NDP as greatest threat to re-election