HALIFAX – What a win. Bill Casey reclaims the Cumberland-Colchester seat, under his fourth banner, the Liberals.
The region, that was considered too close to call only days before the election, has voted in Liberal Candidate Bill Casey.
Casey has a long history in the region. He was the Conservative MP from 1997 to 2007, and then sat as an independent MP from 2007-2009. Monday’s win is his seventh election victory in the riding, his first was as a Progressive Conservative in 1987. His only loss was in 1993 when the Liberal tide knocked out all but two Progressive Conservative MPs across the country.
“Everybody is sending a message,” said Casey on Monday night. “We weren’t alone sending the message.”
“And the message is they wanted change, they wanted a positive attitude, and they’re going to get it.”
Casey was kicked out of the Conservative party in 2007 for voting against his government’s budget, but then secured his seat the next year as an independent.
“This election tonight in Cumberland-Colchester was a message to every politician,” said Casey. “If you stand up for your people, if you put them first, they’ll put you first and that’s what happened here tonight.”
Casey left politics in 2009, but returned to politics in 2014 when he announced he would run under the Liberal banner in the 2015 federal election.
He defeated Conservative Incumbent Scott Armstrong, who has been the riding’s MP since 2009. The race was tense and personal for the two front runners because of their history. Casey and Armstrong were long time family friends and Armstrong was Casey’s campaign manager when he ran under the Conservative banner.
He also beat out NDP Candidate Wendy Robinson, Green Party Candidate Jason Blanch, and Independent Candidates Kenneth Jackson and Richard Trueman Plett.
Until Monday night, the riding had gone Conservative or Progressive Conservative all but twice since 1957. The Liberal win on Monday is the second time since 1957 that the Liberals have held the riding.
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