NDP, Conservatives neck and neck as B.C. election results roll in

The race between the two leading political parties in B.C. is virtually tied tonight, after an intense election campaign that saw the dominant incumbent competing with what was, until a few months ago, an entirely unexpected challenger.

With the vast majority of polls counted, the B.C. NDP and B.C. Conservatives are locked in a near dead heat. The NDP were leading in 46 ridings as of 10:15 p.m. PT, while the Conservatives led in 45 — meaning the race will come down to the last few polls.

To win a majority government in B.C., a party has to take at least 47 of the 93 seats. 

Regardless of which party ultimately forms government, the razor-thin margin will be considered a disappointing result for the NDP and an accomplishment for the up-and-coming Conservatives.

A number of ridings are still too close to call with less than a few hundred votes between candidates.

The leading party leaders held onto their ridings: Conservative Leader John Rustad was re-elected in Nechako Lakes, which he has held since 2005, and NDP Leader David Eby won a fourth term in Vancouver–Point Grey.

In a major blow to her party, B.C. Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau lost her seat after leaving her riding of Cowichan Valley to run for the first time in Victoria–Beacon Hill.

“It has been such an honour to be an MLA,” an emotional Furstenau later told supporters gathered in the capital, her voice hoarse after fighting a cold last weekend. “It’s not the outcome we hoped for in Victoria–Beacon Hill tonight, but I’m so proud of the campaign that we ran.”

The Greens otherwise led in two ridings.

Of the record 40 Independents who ran across the province, none are leading in any of their races.

The majority of NDP cabinet ministers retained their seats, including Health Minister Adrian Dix in Vancouver–Renfrew, Jobs Minister Brenda Bailey in Vancouver–South Granville and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon in Delta North.

Voting results were available quicker than usual because Elections B.C. is using a new electronic voting system for the first time instead of paper ballots, though the count wasn’t seamless: results were delayed in Surrey–Cloverdale, one of the province’s closest battleground ridings, because of an issue with a password needed to tabulate votes.

Remarkable Conservative rise

The campaign was largely a story about whether or not the B.C. Conservatives could complete a stunning political rise to topple Eby’s B.C. NDP, or whether the incumbent party could hold onto its commanding power in the Legislature.

At dissolution this fall, the NDP held a powerful majority with 55 seats in the legislature. The B.C. United party served as the Official Opposition with 20 seats, but did not run any candidates in the election after it suspended its campaign to throw its support behind the surging B.C. Conservatives — who held just eight seats before the election.

The Greens had two seats, and two seats were held by Independents.

If voters elect Rustad’s party, the province will have its first Conservative government in nearly a century. If voters stick to the status quo and back Eby’s party, the province will have its fourth consecutive NDP government.

Regardless of the final outcome, Rustad’s unlikely rise has been a remarkable story in B.C. politics.

Rustad, 61, became party leader after he was kicked out of the Opposition, then known as the B.C. Liberals, over his views on climate change. In just two years, he steered the fledgling Conservatives to a level of popularity that sank his old party, which had disastrously rebranded as B.C. United.

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The Conservatives and NDP ran candidates in each of the province’s 93 ridings, while Furstenau’s Greens had 69 candidates. Six high-profile incumbent MLAs were among the 40 Independent candidates.

Reflecting a change in politics that extends far beyond the province, the election this fall saw a campaign riddled with harmful rhetoric and personal attacks against candidates on both sides. 

More than a million people voted ahead of election day, marking a record number for advance voting in the province.

More to come.