See-saw races unfold in too-close-to-call ridings
It was a nail-biter north of the Fraser Tuesday night, with Liberal and NDP candidates neck-andneck long after the polls closed.
While the Liberals looked strong in the eastern Fraser Valley, the party had a tougher time in the bellwether ridings of Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge Mission, which were too close to call at deadline.
Predicted to be a tight race, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows has often been the only riding held by the NDP in the right-leaning Fraser Valley. In 2013, former Pitt Meadows councillor Doug Bing squeaked out a victory for the Liberals, winning by just 620 votes.
This time, the incumbent squared off against NDP candidate Lisa Beare, a school board trustee. Both political leaders visited the riding several times during the campaign to bolster their candidates’ chances of success.
As of 9:30 p.m., Bing trailed Beare by less than 100 votes with 18 out of 96 polls reporting.
In Maple Ridge-Mission, incumbent Liberal candidate Marc Dalton was seeking his third term against NDP candidate Bob D’Eith, a lawyer and musician who was the federal NDP candidate in 2015.
The riding typically hosts a tight race, although the Liberals have prevailed since 2001. In 2005 and 2009, it was among the closest in the province, with the NDP coming within 200 votes.
At deadline, Dalton was ahead with 45 per cent of the vote. D’Eith had 30 per cent, with five out of 97 polls reporting.
In another close race, Fraser Nicola NDP Harry Lali was trying for a comeback against Liberal incumbent Jackie Tegart, who was ahead by 300 votes at deadline.
In a rematch of the 2013 race, Tegart and Lali went head-to-head to win the large riding that includes the region east of Pemberton along Highway 99 and north of Hope along Highways 1 and 5 until Kamloops.
Not unexpectedly, a host of familiar faces will return to the legislature to represent the Fraser Valley, which typically votes Liberal. Perhaps the most familiar, longtime Liberal cabinet minister Rich Coleman had a convincing lead over NDP candidate Inder Johal in Langley East — with 55 per cent of the vote at deadline.
“We’re leading in the Fraser Valley, which is expected,” he said at 9 p.m., adding he expected to see results go back and forth in several ridings as the ballots were counted. “It’s going to be a long evening.”
In Langley, Mary Polak was hoping for her fourth term for the Liberals, but found herself in a tight race with NDP candidate Gail Chaddock-Costello. At deadline Polak was leading with 40 per cent of the vote.
We’re leading in the Fraser Valley, which is expected. It’s going to be a long evening.
In Abbotsford-Mission, it was Liberal incumbent Simon Gibson, who had 1,600 votes over NDP candidate Andrew Christie at deadline, while in Abbotsford South, Liberal incumbent Darryl Plecas was ahead of the NDP’s Jasleen Arora by a 1,500-vote margin.
It was a similar story in Abbotsford West, where Liberal incumbent Mike de Jong hoped to hold on to his seat in the legislature, where he’s represented the Fraser Valley since 1994. The longtime cabinet minister was ahead of NDP candidate Preet Rai with 57 per cent of the vote at deadline.
In the eastern Fraser Valley, incumbent Liberal candidate John Martin was cruising a smooth road to victory in the riding of Chilliwack, where the NDP has never won a seat in a general election.
In Chilliwack-Kent, incumbent Liberal candidate Laurie Throness was leading the NDP’s Patti MacAhonic at deadline, benefiting from changes to riding boundaries that removed more left-leaning Hope and added an agricultural area east of Vedder Road that traditionally favours the Liberals.