By Ashliegh Gehl
Incumbent Conservative MP Daryl Kramp was touted as a Prince Edward – Hastings riding shoo-in by supporters, but he didn’t let their optimism go to his head.
Early in the night Kramp led with a 51 per cent lead over NDP rival Michael McMahon and Liberal Peter Tinsley, but still refused to accept victory.
‘For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow,’ prematurely filled the room as supporters lifted martini glasses and bottles of beer into the air, saluting Kramp and Prime Minister Stephen Harper on a majority victory.
“It’s very early yet. It depends on where the polls are from,” said Kramp, looking at results on an iPad a supporter put in his hands at the Belleville Club Monday.
His supporters were right.
Kramp wrapped up the night with 29, 018 votes. McMahon trailed with 12, 891 votes as Tinsley slipped into third with 10, 237 votes.
“I’m really, really delighted to see that we have a sense of direction with no more blockage, no more obviation, no more phony games in there,” said Kramp in an interview. “Now we can get to work. So we have a four-year mandate per se. There’s a lot of trying times before us. We have serious issues to deal with.”
Prince Edward – Hastings shifted to a Conservative riding seven years ago when Kramp was elected, taking 42 percent of the vote. Since then, Kramp’s popularity has been on the rise. In 2006, he took 48 per cent, reaching 50 per cent in 2008.
Like other ridings across Canada, the Liberals were overshadowed by the NDP, losing their grip on the opposition title.
At the Belleville Club Conservative supporter Dan Case, a restaurant worker in Belleville, cheered Kramp on. Case said he hasn’t always supported the Conservatives. He voted Liberal in 2006.
“Liberals lie about lying,” said Case. “NDP stands for the coalition. So who else to vote for other than Green? I prefer Daryl Kramp and the Conservatives because I believe in what they stand for.”
After feeling let down by former governing Liberals Jean Chretien and Paul Martin, Case’s vote changed from red to blue when he voted for Kramp in 2008.
“I voted for him two-and-a-half years ago,” said Case. “I believe in Stephen Harper. I believe in what Daryl’s been doing. I think Daryl’s the right man and I believe in everything Stephen Harper says.”
In Prince Edward – Hastings 61.8 per cent of voters headed to the polls, an increase from 2008’s 40 per cent.
The Conservatives secured 167 seats in parliament. The NDP became the new opposition with 103 seats.
Tuesday morning Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff announced his resignation. The Liberals suffered an embarrassing defeat, dropping from 77 seats to 34. That wasn’t the only blow Ignatieff took Monday night. He lost his own riding in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, a riding he dominated since 2006.
Despite social media election hype, voter turnout inched nationally to 61.4 per cent from 58.8 in 2008. In Prince Edward – Hastings, 61.8 per cent voted, up from 59 per cent in 2008.