Stéphane Dion stepped down as Liberal leader after a very poor showing in the 2008 federal election, and Dhalla was mentioned as a possible candidate to succeed him. The "Toronto Star" listed her as an outside contender, noting that her national profile was not very strong. Before she was able to make her decision, other prominent candidates withdrew from the contest and gave their support to Michael Ignatieff. In December, Dhalla announced she would not be a candidate. Ignatieff was duly acclaimed as interim leader in January 2009, and was officially confirmed as party leader later in the year.