The two hand-picked candidates in this province lost their bids in this week’s federal election.

Steve Kent, who was hand-picked by the Conservatives in Avalon lost to Liberal Paul Connors, while Liberal Don Bradshaw’s loss in Long Range Mountains resulted in an upset win for the Conservatives.

Dalhousie University political scientist Lori Turnbull says generally-speaking, that is a strategy that can “blow-up” in the face of the party.

“Local ridings want to be able to choose their candidates, if not, what do they do? What other choices do they get to make? In the long run, it’s not helpful, whether you win or lose, in the short-term in any particular election. In the long-term it just create bad blood between the leader’s office and the constituency association, and it makes for a weaker constituency association because it’s like, what’s the incentive of getting involved?”