The soon-to-be newest premier of Alberta won't match his immediate predecessor as a human quote machine.

But neither will Ed Stelmach be likely to show up drunk at a homeless shelter and berate people for not having jobs.

However, the 55-year-old shares one very important characteristic with Ralph Klein: He's never lost a political contest.

Stelmach's fans affectionately refer to him as either Steady Eddie or Honest Ed. However, he hasn't really put his stamp on anything during his 13 years in provincial politics.

"I've covered him for the past five years of my life day in and day out, and I can't think of anything he really stands for," Calgary-based political commentator Joan Crockatt told CTV Newsnet on Sunday.

"I think for right now, he's going to be the Unknown Premier," said provincial Liberal Leader Kevin Taft.

"He wasn't one of the highest-profile cabinet ministers," Mark Lisac, publisher of Alberta Insight, told CTV.ca.

However, if Stelmach didn't become famous through brilliant speeches or strategic visions, neither has he become infamous for screwing up. Those who like him talk of Stelmach's competence, integrity and team player temperament.

"Ed's got the integrity. Ed's always put the party first and province first and never Ed first. It's always been about what makes a good province and what makes the party strong," said Dave Hancock, who finished fifth after the first ballot on Nov. 25 and threw his support to Stelmach. Two other candidates -- Lyle Oberg and Mark Norris -- also endorsed Stelmach.

Lisac said if Stelmach stands for anything, it's for integrity and honesty.

He recounted how a provincial trade representative in Washington also wanted to be a director for a small Calgary oil company. Stelmach told the man he couldn't do both, Lisac said.

Stelmach wants to do things like bring in a lobbyists' registry - something the Klein government was resisting, he said.

The former intergovernmental affairs and agriculture minister was on the final ballot with two opponents: Jim Dinning, a 53-year-old Calgary businessman and Ted Morton, a professor, rookie MLA and voice of the hard right.

Dinning is a former provincial treasurer who had the endorsement of the province's Tory establishment. Even legendary ex-premier Peter Lougheed favoured him. He finished with twice the votes of Stelmach after the first round (Morton finished second on Nov. 25 but third on Dec. 2. His supporters' second-choice picks put Stelmach over the top).

But some believe Dinning's favoured status with the elites and his smooth mannerisms may have hurt him with ordinary Albertans, who saw more of themselves in Stelmach, Lisac said.

"He isn't a good speaker or communicator," Lisac said of Stelmach. "But most people aren't, so in a way, that might have worked for him."

"Alberta has always had this populist streak," he added. "People want leaders who stand up for the little guy against the powerful."

In Andrew, a fading farming town of 550 where grain elevators and the onion dome of a Ukrainian church dominate the skyline (along with the world's biggest Mallard duck), people talked about their distaste for having the province run by oilmen and backroom boys.

"Ed worked from grassroots. He didn't have any outside influences, in terms of cash, to run a campaign," lifelong friend Steve Blashko told CTV Edmonton.

Stelmach's down-home image is no act. He's of Ukrainian ancestry (as is 10 per cent of Alberta's population), his grandparents settling near Andrew, about an hour-and-change's drive northeast of Edmonton, in the late 19th century.

A farmer, he still keeps Black Angus cattle on the family farm he operates with wife Marie.

They raised four children together.

In his acceptance speech, Stelmach thanked his brother for looking after the cattle while he conducted his leadership campaign.

He credited the birth of his grandson over the course of the campaign with inspiring him to fight for the future generations of Albertans.

While he looked bleary-eyed on Saturday, it's because he stayed up all night trying to fix his broken furnace, said Iris Evans, one of Stelmach's key cabinet allies.

During the campaign, while Dinning and Ted Morton, the voice of the hard right, traded shots at each other, Stelmach didn't say anything bad about anybody.

"He didn't have to mudsling," said Andrew resident Darrell Orydzuk. "He stuck to his principles, and it paid off in the end for him."

A natural consensus-builder and good listener, people saw Stelmach as being the right guy to unite a party that might be fracturing under its own success and getting sloppy in terms of ethics. The Tories have governed Alberta since 1971. Stelmach will be the fourth premier of the reign.

As Stelmach told his supporters early Sunday: "Good guys do finish first."