But hard-line conservative Ted Morton all but counted Stelmach out of the contest, arguing it’s a battle between himself and top vote-getter Jim Dinning in a race that’s quickly dividing the party along ideological and geographic lines.

A day after the three candidates all advanced to Saturday’s preferential second ballot, the race for Premier Ralph Klein’s crown heated up with southern Alberta favourite Lyle Oberg — who finished fourth in Saturday’s initial vote — throwing his support behind Stelmach, saying he can heal internal party wounds.

"With Jim, people are very polarized. They really like Jim or they dislike him. Ted is very polarized as well," Oberg said, moments after a symbolic handshake alliance with Stelmach at a Calgary hotel.

"I really believe that Ed is the moderate of the three and can come up the middle and have the victory here — and with moderate I do mean change."

While Stelmach, a northern Alberta farmer, finished a distant third in Saturday’s initial vote with 14,967 votes — behind Dinning’s 29,470 and Morton’s 25,614 votes — he’s quickly building momentum.

He was also endorsed late Saturday night by fellow leadership contender Dave Hancock, who was eliminated after the first ballot, and speculation grows that another ousted candidate, Mark Norris, could also join the Stelmach camp.

"We’re positioned to win. We’re going to be working hard next week by bringing more people on board," Stelmach said, noting that Oberg on his side is "a very good alliance" that will help make crucial inroads in southern Alberta.

Morton, however, wasn’t so convinced that Stelmach will be a force to be dealt with, instead focussing his attention on Dinning, whom he’s repeatedly called a "Liberal-lite."

"He has a long way to come," Morton said of Stelmach. "I think it’s basically Jim or me."

Dinning, who was locked up in meetings on Sunday and didn’t speak to the media, concentrated his comments late Saturday on Morton — attacking him for the infamous firewall comments several years ago that suggested the Alberta government build safeguards to protect from federal intervention.

It was an apparent attempt by Dinning to differentiate himself from his closest competitor and pull in more moderate voters.

Cabinet minister and Dinning supporter Ron Stevens also sold the message that it’s a race between the top two vote-getters and their starkly different visions for Alberta.

"This week is without a doubt watershed material. I don’t think that the party — at least to my memory — has ever had a situation where the choices are so stark," Stevens said Sunday.

"There’s two very different images for this party going forward. If you want to maintain the Progressive Conservative approach, then you’ll vote Dinning. If you’ve got this other view, then Morton will be more appealing to you."

jfekete@theherald.canwest.com