In September 1992, Don Getty resigned as provincial premier and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, after polls showed that he would not win re-election, with the party's image being hurt by a perceived lack of fiscal responsibility, the in-fighting that resulted from an attempt to force a leadership review after Getty was defeated in his own riding at the previous election, and a backlash to the unpopular federal Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney.

The election was fought on a new series of electoral boundaries based on the census of 1991, drawn by a committee composed only of Progressive Conservative MLAs led by Bob Bogle, with no input from opposition parties.

The new electoral map drew criticism from the Alberta Court of Appeal in 1994 because the committee gave no justification for creating four districts well below average population, one of which was Bogle's own riding of Taber-Warner.

[1] During the general election campaign, Klein promoted the significant changes that he had made during his time of Premier, distancing the Conservatives from Getty's past administration.

The campaign coincided with a leadership election for the federal Progressive Conservatives, after Mulroney announced his resignation as party leader earlier in the year.

Vancouver-based MP and cabinet member Kim Campbell quickly became the firm favourite to win, revitalizing the party's flagging popularity in the west, and meaning that Mulroney's unpopularity no longer proved a millstone for the provincial Progressive Conservatives.

Notably, the PC's were shut out of Edmonton for the first time since 1963, but managed to make gains in Klein's hometown of Calgary where they won all but three seats.