Premier Alison Redford is expected to drop the election writ today to launch a campaign that already has the two heavyweights promising to stick to the high road.

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If called today, voters will go to the polls on April 23 after a four-week campaign shaping up as a slugfest between Redford’s Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose party under leader Danielle Smith.

Both are chasing voters from the centre-right of the political spectrum and the Wildrose is expected to deliver the first serious challenge in years to four decades of Tory hegemony.

Wildrose house leader Rob Anderson said that challenge starts with telling people what his party is rather than what Redford is not.

“People want a change, and we just have to make sure that our party puts a positive vision forward starting Day 1 one of the campaign,” Anderson said.

“I’m pretty hopeful about this campaign. I do see it being more positive than negative.”

Redford stressed recently that she, too, wants to keep things clean.

“We’re going to do our very best to keep the tone of the election to one that I think Albertans expect, which is an appropriate, dignified discussion with respect to policy,” she said.

“We will have Albertans judge how they want their leaders to conduct themselves. That’s the point of an election.”