B.C. Conservatives off to the races
Liberal contenders taking heat from more than NDP rivals this time around
After weeks of door-knocking, speeches and public appearances, the next 24 hours are going to come down to a few simple decisions for Laurie Throness.
It will either be the victory speech or the concession speech.
It will either be the early start on Friday morning or the well-deserved sleep-in.
Depending on which way voting goes today in a high-stakes byelection, Throness, the Liberal candidate in Chilliwack-hope, will either go back to his regular life or start a new path as one of B.C.’S newest MLAS.
It’s the fate facing all seven candidates running in one of two government byelections, which conclude tonight.
Throness, of course, is hoping for the latter, meaning it will be rise and shine Friday morning for an expected surge of media interviews.
“We know the numbers and it is looking like a two-way race between the NDP and the Liberals,” said Throness, who described the campaign experience as both challenging and rewarding.
“We feel the Conservatives will be a factor, but not a deciding factor, in the race.”
Of the two byelections, Barry Penner’s old riding of ChilliwackHope is the contest that will be watched most closely.
While NDP candidate Joe Trasolini is expected to win in Port Moody-coquitlam, pundits, unlike Throness, expect Chilliwack-hope to be a close three-way race.
It is also the contest that offers the most in way of outcomes: If the NDP’S Gwen O’mahony wins, then Liberal fears of a vote-split shattering
Chilliwack-hope the coalition in 2013 will be made all the more real.
If Conservative candidate John Martin wins, it will bring John Cummins’ party one step closer to official status in the legislature and could tempt more dissatisfied Liberal MLAS to join John van Dongen on the other side of the floor with the Tories.
A Liberal win, meantime, would provide some much-needed good news for Premier Christy Clark, who has had to face a string of publicopinion polls that suggest her party and leadership are in real trouble.
Advanced polling numbers suggest voter turnout will be high: 3,220 voters in the riding have already cast a vote, compared to the 2,823 who cast a ballot during advanced voting in the 2009 general election.
Advanced voting numbers in Port Moody-coquitlam, meantime, were slightly down when compared to the 2009 general election: 2,665 compared to 3,178.
Dennis Marsden (Liberal) and Christine Clarke (Conservative) are the other candidates in Port MoodyCoquitlam.
While Throness claims Chilliwack-hope is between the Liberals and NDP, a spokesperson from the Conservative camp said the Tories are right in the mix.
“All indications suggest we are definitely in striking distance,” the spokesperson said. “This assertion that we are a distant third is just BS.”
A fourth candidate running in Chilliwack-hope is Lewis Clarke Dahlby of the Libertarian Party.
Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. For information on voting locations, visit www.elections. bc.ca.