Under Sturgeon, SNP has gone full on woketastic. So when Kate Forbes, conservative religious type, made some comments on same sex marriage and transgender people based on her religious beliefs rather than what goes over well on twitter, there was a predictable shitstorm.
Many MSPs sought to distance themselves from her, her campaign manager urged her to quit, columnists and media talking heads announced her campaign was over before it began etc etc.
But the leadership is chosen by the rank and file members of the SNP, and what do you know, according to a recent poll, they don't seem to bothered by her views on same sex marriage or transgender people, as she is in the lead.
The Irish Times gets the salient point:
One thing that appears to have escaped those in the London political bubble who predicted Forbes’s campaign was already over is that the SNP leader is not selected by outraged social media commentators or even the political heavyweights who disavowed her candidacy. The leader is picked by the members of the SNP, all 100,000 of them. One member, one vote.
It's only one poll, and anything could happen between now and voting time. But it will be interesting to see how it pans out. Whatever way it goes she has a target on her back now and can expect to face a tough few weeks.