Prince George, B.C. – The race for office in Prince George-Mackenzie and Nechako Lakes is about to get more crowded.

This as the BC Green Party has confirmed to 250News they plan to nominate candidates in both ridings ptior to the nomination deadline April 18.

“We’ve identified candidates in both ridings and we hope to have them through our process before the deadline,” said Jillian Oliver, press secretary with the BC Greens.

(Incumbent Liberal MLA Mike Morris is running again in Prince George-Mackenzie while Bobby Deepak is running for the NDP. In Nechako Lakes Liberal incumbent John Rustad is running again while Anne Marie Sam is running for the NDP and Jon Rempel for the BC Libertarian Party.)

Last week the party announced Nan Kendy as their candidate in Prince George-Valemount (the other candidates there are incumbent Liberal MLA Shirley Bond and the NDP’s Natalie Fletcher. In 2013, the Greens didn’t run a candidate).

In 2013, Green candidate Karen McDowell placed third in Prince George-Mackenzie with 6 per cent of the vote while Colin Hamm ran for the Greens in Nechako Lakes and garnered five per cent – good for fourth spot.

The BC Green Party has nominated candidates in 75 of B.C.’s 87 ridings so far. They have just one MLA – leader Andrew Weaver (Oak Bay-Gordon Head).

Despite having a one-person caucus, the party has been polling well in recent weeks. For example, a Mainstreet Research poll on March 27 had them at 19 per cent (the NDP polled 36 per cent, the BC Liberals 34 per cent).

The party received 8 per cent of the vote in the 2013 provincial election.

This year’s election is scheduled for May 9.