Kelowna West still belongs to Liberals

Former MLA who gave up seat for Christy Clark in 2013 likely returning to Victoria

Former Liberal MLA Ben Stewart appeared headed for victory in Wednesday’s Kelowna West byelection.

With 59 of 111 polling stations reporting at deadline, Stewart had 3,119 votes, easily the most of any of the five candidates in the running.

Shelley Cook of the NDP was second with 1,505 votes, Robert Stupka of the Greens had 826, Mark Thompson of the Conservatives had 435 and Kyle Geronazzo of the Libertarian party had 55.

If Stewart’s lead held, it would mark a political comeback. Stewart represented the riding from 2009 until 2013, winning more than half of all votes cast in two provincial elections.

But he resigned to free up a safe Liberal seat for then-party leader Christy Clark, who needed a way back to the legislature after leading the Liberals to victory but losing her own seat in Vancouver.

Stewart founded Quails’ Gate Family Estate Winery in the 1980s, and has had land development interests as well. In the former Liberal government, he had been provincial agricultural minister.

After resigning in 2013, Stewart was named by the Liberal government as B.C.’s special economic representative in China, a posting widely seen as a patronage appointment.

He won the Liberal nomination for Kelowna West after Clark quit as premier and MLA last year.