NDP gains votes, but falls short
Two elected, three on brink
The NDP gathering erupted with cheers when Rachel Notley was the first NDP to be declared elected Monday night, but few supporters were worried for her seat.
Her seat was declared at 8:40 p.m. NDP Leader Brian Mason had clearly won his seat by 9:10 p.m. It was Edmonton-calder and Edmonton-beverly-clareview that had NDP supporters on the edge as results continued to filter in. David Eggen was leading with 44 per cent of in Edmonton-calder at 9 p.m., and Deron Bilous was ahead with 41 per cent of the vote in Edmonton-beverly-Clareview.
“I’m really optimistic this election will go a lot better,” said Notley shortly after her riding was declared.
“I think we’re going to be very successful and I think it’s because we ran a positive campaign speaking to issues that actually matter to Albertans, speaking to health care, education, rather than all the drama of the infighting.”
Heading into election day, the NDP had been hoping for a strong third-place finish to give them the balance of power in a minority government. The strong showing by the Progressive Conservatives will eliminate that possibility.
The four ridings the NDP were hanging onto one hour after the polls closed were fewer than many were hoping for, although double the number they had in the previous government.
“I don’t think we’ll end up with less than four. I’m convinced,” party president Nancy Furlong had said as the polls closed at 8 p.m. “If we end up with eight seats here (in Edmonton) we’ll be able to make a significant difference to the discussion in this province.”
Since the writ was dropped, Mason has been trying to position his party as the only reasonable option on the left. He was confident on Sunday heading into the vote, predicting his party would benefit from slipping Tory support. That could work as long as candidates succeeded in convincing voters to vote with their hearts not with an “anyone but Wildrose” strategy.