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Liberals win with surprising ease E 2013
PROVINCIAL ALL
Sea to Sky result closer than expected Jane Seyd jseyd@nsnews.com
VOTERS in most North Shore ridings reflected the mood of the provincial electorate Tuesday night, casting their ballots for Liberal candidates in far higher numbers than had been expected by pollsters and pundits. As of press time Tuesday night — before the final polls reported — the B.C. Liberals were predicted to form another majority government NEWS photo Cindy Goodman in the province, a stunning result considering polls that JANE Thornthwaite celebrates her North Vancouver-Seymour victory outside her Lynn Valley campaign office Tuesday with her children, put the NDP ahead by 20 just Zoey Walter (left), and Mallory and Jeremy Johnson. one month ago. He added the decisive win for the Liberals, despite early Sturdy said he had remained fairly confident of a win in the Both West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Ralph Sultan and North Vancouver-Seymour won decisive early victories in their riding as poll numbers called in by his scrutineers indicated “we predictions, proves “polls six months or one month out don’t really mean much. respective ridings. Sultan cruised to victory with more than were never really behind. “I think Christy has astounded the critics,” he told supporters “It’s amazing and really exciting,” he said of the Liberal win 14,000 votes to the NDP Terry Platt’s approximately 4,500. Thornthwaite won with just shy of 10,500 to NDP candidate province wide. “Clearly the public had something in mind they in an early victory speech. Sultan said Clark took “a lot of baggage she wasn’t responsible Jim Hanson’s 6,500 — with not of all of the polls reporting as weren’t sharing with the pollsters.” In West Vancouver-Capilano, it was a very different story for for” and managed to boost a demoralized party and build loyalty the News went to press. But it was more of a tense night for candidates in both North Ralph Sultan, who was one of the first Liberal candidates to be in the caucus. Sultan said Clark’s style has been more populist than the top-down approach of former Liberal leader Gordon Vancouver-Lonsdale and West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, where the declared elected, with about 67 per cent of the vote. The mood at Sultan’s campaign headquarters, where a Campbell. lead flip-flopped back and forth between the Liberals and the “She has far exceeded the most optimistic forecasts,” he well-heeled older crowd of supporters gathered, became more NDP as votes were counted. Jordan Sturdy, the newly elected Liberal MLA in West animated throughout the evening as more results came in, said. Liberal supporter Ray Richards agreed. “She’s done a hell of Vancouver-Sea to Sky, had to wait until after 10 p.m. election putting the B.C. Liberals in the lead. Sultan said the strong Liberal win was both a credit to a job on the campaign,” he said of Clark. night to be declared the winner, after earlier election returns put But Richards also gave credit to Sultan in handily winning leader Christy Clark’s campaign and concerns of voters over the the NDP’s Anna Santos in the lead. his riding. By 11 p.m., Sturdy had more than a 1,000 vote lead, with economy. “The big issue in the campaign was the economy,” he said. roughly 6,000 votes (46 per cent) to Santos’ approximately “Dix started to scare people.” 4,900 (38 per cent.) See Sultan’s page 3
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