diff --git a/tools/leaderelection/leasecandidate.go b/tools/leaderelection/leasecandidate.go
index f071dd33..98871213 100644
--- a/tools/leaderelection/leasecandidate.go
+++ b/tools/leaderelection/leasecandidate.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package leaderelection
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"reflect"
 	"time"
 
 	v1 "k8s.io/api/coordination/v1"
@@ -37,11 +38,15 @@ import (
 
 const requeueInterval = 5 * time.Minute
 
+type CacheSyncWaiter interface {
+	WaitForCacheSync(stopCh <-chan struct{}) map[reflect.Type]bool
+}
+
 type LeaseCandidate struct {
-	LeaseClient            coordinationv1alpha1client.LeaseCandidateInterface
-	LeaseCandidateInformer cache.SharedIndexInformer
-	InformerFactory        informers.SharedInformerFactory
-	HasSynced              cache.InformerSynced
+	leaseClient            coordinationv1alpha1client.LeaseCandidateInterface
+	leaseCandidateInformer cache.SharedIndexInformer
+	informerFactory        informers.SharedInformerFactory
+	hasSynced              cache.InformerSynced
 
 	// At most there will be one item in this Queue (since we only watch one item)
 	queue workqueue.TypedRateLimitingInterface[int]
@@ -52,7 +57,7 @@ type LeaseCandidate struct {
 	// controller lease
 	leaseName string
 
-	Clock clock.Clock
+	clock clock.Clock
 
 	binaryVersion, emulationVersion string
 	preferredStrategies             []v1.CoordinatedLeaseStrategy
@@ -62,10 +67,9 @@ func NewCandidate(clientset kubernetes.Interface,
 	candidateName string,
 	candidateNamespace string,
 	targetLease string,
-	clock clock.Clock,
 	binaryVersion, emulationVersion string,
 	preferredStrategies []v1.CoordinatedLeaseStrategy,
-) (*LeaseCandidate, error) {
+) (*LeaseCandidate, CacheSyncWaiter, error) {
 	fieldSelector := fields.OneTermEqualSelector("metadata.name", candidateName).String()
 	// A separate informer factory is required because this must start before informerFactories
 	// are started for leader elected components
@@ -78,20 +82,20 @@ func NewCandidate(clientset kubernetes.Interface,
 	leaseCandidateInformer := informerFactory.Coordination().V1alpha1().LeaseCandidates().Informer()
 
 	lc := &LeaseCandidate{
-		LeaseClient:            clientset.CoordinationV1alpha1().LeaseCandidates(candidateNamespace),
-		LeaseCandidateInformer: leaseCandidateInformer,
-		InformerFactory:        informerFactory,
+		leaseClient:            clientset.CoordinationV1alpha1().LeaseCandidates(candidateNamespace),
+		leaseCandidateInformer: leaseCandidateInformer,
+		informerFactory:        informerFactory,
 		name:                   candidateName,
 		namespace:              candidateNamespace,
 		leaseName:              targetLease,
-		Clock:                  clock,
+		clock:                  clock.RealClock{},
 		binaryVersion:          binaryVersion,
 		emulationVersion:       emulationVersion,
 		preferredStrategies:    preferredStrategies,
 	}
 	lc.queue = workqueue.NewTypedRateLimitingQueueWithConfig(workqueue.DefaultTypedControllerRateLimiter[int](), workqueue.TypedRateLimitingQueueConfig[int]{Name: "leasecandidate"})
 
-	synced, err := leaseCandidateInformer.AddEventHandler(cache.ResourceEventHandlerFuncs{
+	h, err := leaseCandidateInformer.AddEventHandler(cache.ResourceEventHandlerFuncs{
 		UpdateFunc: func(oldObj, newObj interface{}) {
 			if leasecandidate, ok := newObj.(*v1alpha1.LeaseCandidate); ok {
 				if leasecandidate.Spec.PingTime != nil {
@@ -101,18 +105,18 @@ func NewCandidate(clientset kubernetes.Interface,
 		},
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, nil, err
 	}
-	lc.HasSynced = synced.HasSynced
+	lc.hasSynced = h.HasSynced
 
-	return lc, nil
+	return lc, informerFactory, nil
 }
 
 func (c *LeaseCandidate) Run(ctx context.Context) {
 	defer c.queue.ShutDown()
 
-	go c.InformerFactory.Start(ctx.Done())
-	if !cache.WaitForNamedCacheSync("leasecandidateclient", ctx.Done(), c.HasSynced) {
+	go c.informerFactory.Start(ctx.Done())
+	if !cache.WaitForNamedCacheSync("leasecandidateclient", ctx.Done(), c.hasSynced) {
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -153,12 +157,12 @@ func (c *LeaseCandidate) enqueueLease() {
 // ensureLease creates the lease if it does not exist and renew it if it exists. Returns the lease and
 // a bool (true if this call created the lease), or any error that occurs.
 func (c *LeaseCandidate) ensureLease(ctx context.Context) error {
-	lease, err := c.LeaseClient.Get(ctx, c.name, metav1.GetOptions{})
+	lease, err := c.leaseClient.Get(ctx, c.name, metav1.GetOptions{})
 	if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
 		klog.V(2).Infof("Creating lease candidate")
 		// lease does not exist, create it.
 		leaseToCreate := c.newLease()
-		_, err := c.LeaseClient.Create(ctx, leaseToCreate, metav1.CreateOptions{})
+		_, err := c.leaseClient.Create(ctx, leaseToCreate, metav1.CreateOptions{})
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -169,9 +173,9 @@ func (c *LeaseCandidate) ensureLease(ctx context.Context) error {
 	}
 	klog.V(2).Infof("lease candidate exists.. renewing")
 	clone := lease.DeepCopy()
-	clone.Spec.RenewTime = &metav1.MicroTime{Time: c.Clock.Now()}
+	clone.Spec.RenewTime = &metav1.MicroTime{Time: c.clock.Now()}
 	clone.Spec.PingTime = nil
-	_, err = c.LeaseClient.Update(ctx, clone, metav1.UpdateOptions{})
+	_, err = c.leaseClient.Update(ctx, clone, metav1.UpdateOptions{})
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -191,6 +195,6 @@ func (c *LeaseCandidate) newLease() *v1alpha1.LeaseCandidate {
 			PreferredStrategies: c.preferredStrategies,
 		},
 	}
-	lease.Spec.RenewTime = &metav1.MicroTime{Time: c.Clock.Now()}
+	lease.Spec.RenewTime = &metav1.MicroTime{Time: c.clock.Now()}
 	return lease
 }
diff --git a/tools/leaderelection/leasecandidate_test.go b/tools/leaderelection/leasecandidate_test.go
index 5265abfc..43e0d2d1 100644
--- a/tools/leaderelection/leasecandidate_test.go
+++ b/tools/leaderelection/leasecandidate_test.go
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ import (
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/fake"
-	"k8s.io/utils/clock"
 )
 
 type testcase struct {
@@ -47,12 +46,11 @@ func TestLeaseCandidateCreation(t *testing.T) {
 	defer cancel()
 
 	client := fake.NewSimpleClientset()
-	candidate, err := NewCandidate(
+	candidate, _, err := NewCandidate(
 		client,
 		tc.candidateName,
 		tc.candidateNamespace,
 		tc.leaseName,
-		clock.RealClock{},
 		tc.binaryVersion,
 		tc.emulationVersion,
 		[]v1.CoordinatedLeaseStrategy{v1.OldestEmulationVersion},
@@ -82,12 +80,11 @@ func TestLeaseCandidateAck(t *testing.T) {
 
 	client := fake.NewSimpleClientset()
 
-	candidate, err := NewCandidate(
+	candidate, _, err := NewCandidate(
 		client,
 		tc.candidateName,
 		tc.candidateNamespace,
 		tc.leaseName,
-		clock.RealClock{},
 		tc.binaryVersion,
 		tc.emulationVersion,
 		[]v1.CoordinatedLeaseStrategy{v1.OldestEmulationVersion},