ANTIGONISH: It’s still a red riding.
Incumbent Liberal Randy Delorey will continue to represent Antigonish in the provincial legislature after winning his riding with 3,877 votes.
In unofficial results, Delorey defeated PC candidate Ray Mattie, who managed 3,139 votes, NDP candidate Moraig MacGillvray, who earned 1,815 votes, and Atlantica Party representative Ryan Smyth, who took home 106.
The voter turnout was 63.31 per cent, compared to 66.9 per cent in the 2013 election.
“It feels great just like it did the first time,” said Delorey of his win.
“It’s really special when people in your community give you their support to be their voice in the legislature. It is a very big privilege to have that opportunity.”
In an election that saw a number of close contests, Delorey led for a good part of the evening. The final results weren’t in when Delorey spoke with the media on Tuesday night but he said he felt the Liberals had a great platform. With the Liberals losing some ground, Delorey said his party “made some tough decisions” in the previous term.
“Really, the election comes down to a lot of the same things [as the last election],” he said. “Probably one of the most important things is knocking on doors, it’s getting out and talking to people and engaging with people in your communities.”
As for a role in the new government, Delorey said it is too early to tell.
Delorey won the Antigonish seat during the 2013 provincial election with a convincing 3,882 votes. PC candidate Darren Thompson landed in second place with 2,868 while incumbent NDP Maurice Smith lost his former seat with 2,323 votes.
Smith won the seat during a 2009 by-election, picking up 3,310 votes. Thompson represented the PCs and received 2,855 votes while Liberal candidate Miles Tompkins had 1,830 and Green Party candidate Michael Marshall had 74.
Delorey thanked everyone who came out and voted, along with his friends, family, and supporters for their work.
“I was really humbled to be given the privilege to represent [Antigonish] in the last mandate and I continue to be humbled that the people of Antigonish have again given me a vote of confidence to move forward and represent them in the legislature,” he said.
“It really is a privilege.”
Delorey also congratulated his opponents for their work over the campaign.
“Not everybody is willing to [run] but it is a critical part of our democracy to have people willing to step up to the plate and to ask for the opportunity and privilege to represent in the legislature,” he said.
“In addition, I want to recognize their family members and their supporters as well, as well as my own family and supporters because although there is one name for each party on the ballot, behind those names are a lot of people and a lot of supporters that put in a lot of work throughout the campaign . I can’t underscore enough the role that families play and the sacrifices they make both during campaigns and during the term in office.”
Antigonish Liberal MLA Randy Delorey is seen here celebrating with supporters following his win on Tuesday night. This is the second win for Delorey, who previously won in 2013.