Former provincial cabinet minister, Keith Milligan won the leadership on the first and only ballot, defeating Wayne Cheverie, Ian "Tex" MacDonald and Dan Mullen.
The Liberal Party had been the Government of Prince Edward Island with a majority in the Legislative Assembly since 12 June 2007, having won the 2007 and 2011 provincial elections.
Former University of Prince Edward Island president[12] Keith Kennedy, an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Charlottetown in 2014, small businessman and environmental activist, ultimately withdrew.
[20] Kennedy joined the Liberal Party on November 21, 2014,[9] and planned to walk through all of the province's 27 districts to collect signatures for his nomination and learn about the concerns of Islanders.
[21] Kennedy announced on January 16, 2015, that he was ending his unofficial candidacy due to MacLauchlan's insurmountable lead and his difficulty in fulfilling the nomination criteria.