Howard Hampton knows he has his work cut out for him if he hopes to become premier of Ontario. While the New Democrat leader is aiming to win, he recognizes his party has an uphill battle.

"Democrats always have to work harder -- the path is never easy for us," he told CTV.ca in an interview, noting he followed U.S. politics from an early age.

"We live next door to probably one of the most right-wing countries in the world -- at least now that is for sure -- and so if you come to the world with progressive, left-wing political views, you have to work very, very hard in that context."

But the 55-year-old, who represents the northern riding of Kenora-Rainy River, says he is up to the challenge.

Hampton insists voters have gotten over the tumultuous tenure of former NDP premier Bob Rae in the early 1990s.

"Most people see Bob Rae as an artefact of history," he says. "I think people are very much concerned about the issues that confront us today and who has good ideas to address those challenges, who has plausible solutions, and who has credibility on those issues."

Hampton lists "a fair deal" for all Ontarians, public health care and energy efficiency as the three most important issues currently facing the province.

If he doesn't win on election night, he says voters will be happy with a minority government.

"Who's minority? That's very much in the card game."

Hampton has been involved in politics since he was a teenager. He was elected as an MPP in 1987 and has been leader of the NDP for 11 years.

When asked how long he plans to stay in politics if his party doesn't fare well on election night, Hampton says it's up to the voters and the party faithful.

"After every election, you do some soul searching, and that's true in every case," he says.

"It's not in my mind (to resign), but every leader faces those prospects after every election. Those things are completely out of your hand."

Hampton says he still enjoys going to work every day.

"As long as I get a sense of accomplishment and achievement and fulfillment, and as long as I think people want me to do the job, I'll keep doing it."

His life

Hampton was born in Fort Frances to a blue-collar family, the son of a mill worker in a community with strong trade union principles.

He first joined the NDP when he was a teenager, and attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire on a hockey scholarship. He later earned a bachelor of education from the University of Toronto and a law degree from the University of Ottawa.

Hampton worked as a lawyer for the Canadian Labour Congress and in private practice in his hometown. He also worked for the Saskatchewan NDP government of Allan Blakeney in the 1970s, and as a teacher in southern and northern Ontario.

He was elected to Queen's Park on his third attempt in 1987. When the NDP won an unexpected majority government in 1990, Hampton was appointed attorney general. He was later demoted to Minister of Natural Resources.

Hampton and Rae were not allies, as Hampton didn't agree with many of Rae's policies. After Ontario's first NDP government was trounced in 1995, Rae retired as leader and Hampton replaced him.

The NDP dropped from 17 seats to just nine in the 1999 election when some supporters and union leaders voted for the Liberals in an attempt to prevent the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris from being re-elected. Harris won, and the NDP received only 12 per cent of the popular vote -- the party's poorest election showing in nearly 50 years.

When Harris unveiled plans to privatize the public electricity utility in his second term, Hampton emerged as an advocate for public ownership of hydro. He then published a book, "Public Power: The Fight for Publicly Owned Electricity."

In the 2003 provincial election, support for the NDP dropped again, as the party won only seven seats and lost official party status for the first time in 40 years.

The NDP regained official party status in a byelection in Hamilton in 2004. Subsequent byelections have increased the NDP's seat count to 10.

Hampton is married to Nickel Belt NDP MPP Shelley Martel, who after two decades in politics, is retiring.

"The average career of a member of the legislature is about 6 1/2 years. She says, 'I've been doing this for 20 years, so I've had the equivalent of three MPP careers.'

"She feels she's done this work and she wants to do something different in her life. I give her about three months after the election and I expect she will have a new vocation."

The couple have two young children who are both interested in politics. Their nine-year-old daughter was a page in the spring session at Queen's Park, and their 12-year-old son has helped canvass in past campaigns.

Hampton's summer reading has included books about global warming and depleting natural resources.

One thing voters probably don't know about him is that "I love ice-cream."

He sometimes finds time to play hockey late at night. "The ice is open when I'm open," he says.

On phenom Sidney Crosby, Hampton expects he will shatter all NHL records.

"He might even save us from (commissioner) Gary Bettman," he jokes.

But Hampton's passion for quality public services will need to score a goal with voters if he wants to restore support for the NDP.