The Canadian Alliance leadership contest itself lasted 3 months in which the contenders crisscrossed the country numerous times and grew the membership of the Canadian Alliance to over 200,000 members, when the results of the first ballot were announced on June 24, 2000, Stockwell Day had received 44 percent of the vote (53,249 votes out of 120,557), with Manning receiving 36 percent and Long 18 percent. When the results of the second ballot were counted on July 8, 2000, the vote was 64 percent for Day and 36 percent for Manning. Stockwell Day became the leader of the Canadian Alliance and Leader of the Official Opposition in parliament. Manning's role as a political party and opposition leader was over. As he ruefully remarked, "The operation was a success but the doctor died."