NDP keeps Halifax, steals Dartmouth
Posted May 3, 2011 05:54:18 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was no surprise that incumbent Megan Leslie held onto her seat as Member of Parliament for Halifax, while it was a close race for her fellow New Democrat Robert Chisholm in his win in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour.
“I was running on my record this time,” Leslie told News 95.7 following her victory at the St. Mary’s Boat Club. “It meant a lot to be running in this election, and say this is what I’ve done for the past two-and-a-half years as a Member of Parliament for Halifax.”
She said she’s not only thrilled with her personal success, but the success of her entire party.
“I’m just elated. I’m elated,” she said. “You work hard with your fellow candidates and you try and work with them. To see it pay off is extraordinary.”
Leslie beat second-place Liberal candidate Dr. Stan Kutcher by about 12,000 votes.
The Halifax riding has been a NDP stronghold since 1997.
Meanwhile, across the harbour, a crowd filled Neighbours Pub in Dartmouth to cheer on Chisholm’s victory over three-time Liberal incumbent Mike Savage.
Just 500 votes separated the two in the Dartmouth-Cole Harbour riding.
The former provincial NDP leader gave a lot of credit to his party’s leader, calling Jack Layton’s campaign “flawless.”
“What the leader’s tour did was, it set a tone,” Chrisholm told reporters. “It gave people an opportunity to believe that they could vote New Democrat and possibly win.”
It was the beginning of what would be an orange wave across Canada which saw the NDP catapult into official opposition status.
Savage stopped by Chisholm’s headquarters to congratulate him on the win.
