With almost half of Nova Scotia’s ridings in the Halifax Regional Municipality, winning big in Halifax is key to forming a provincial government.
The Liberals came close to sweeping the capital in the 2013 election but now face a stiff challenge in several ridings as incumbent candidates defend their record while trying to fend off competitors.
WATCH: The Liberals came close to sweeping the riding-rich capital in 2013 and are trying to hang on as incumbents are facing stiff competition from the NDP and Progressive Conservatives. Marieke Walsh explains.
Below is a list of some of the key ridings to watch in Halifax on election night.
Cole Harbour-Portland Valley
Liberal incumbent Tony Ince made history in 2013 — unseating then premier Darrell Dexter with just 21 votes. Until then the riding was dedicated to Dexter, electing him in every race since 1998.
In an effort to win back the riding, the NDP are running lawyer Andre Cain. He ran unsuccessfully in Preston-Dartmouth in 2013. While the Progressive Conservatives are trying to turn the riding into a three-way race with their candidate Chris Mont. Melanie Mulrooney is running for the Greens.
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A key indication that the riding is in play was Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil’s decision to visit Ince just four days before election day. Burrill also made a campaign stop there on Friday.
Dartmouth East
With no incumbent in the race and the NDP candidate effectively out, the previously four-way race has turned into a tight two-person race between the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives.
Tory candidate Tim Halman is a well-known local teacher, and is likely the Progressive Conservatives’ best hope at winning an urban riding. He’s running against the Liberals’ youngest candidate — 28-year-old Edgar Burns. Burns is a longtime Liberal volunteer and is articling at the law firm BoyneClarke LLP.
Bill McEwen is still on the ballot under the NDP banner but he resigned after controversial online comments came to light. Incumbent independent candidate Andrew Younger also stepped aside early in the race. Matthew Richey is running for the Green Party.
Prior to McEwen’s resignation, the NDP were hoping to swing the riding in their favour.
Dartmouth South
With no incumbent in the race both the Liberals and NDP have their sights set on the traditionally New Democrat riding.
It’s likely a two-way race in Dartmouth South. The Progressive Conservatives booted their candidate Jad Crnogorac over controversial social media comments, but because the deadline to remove names had passed she will still appear on the ballot under the Tory banner. She has also decided to continue campaigning as an independent.
Claudia Chender is running for the NDP, Vishal Bhardwaj is running for the Liberals, June Trenholm is running for the Greens and Jim Murray is running for the Atlantica Party.
Dartmouth North
Both the Liberal and NDP leaders have spent a lot of time in Dartmouth North throughout the campaign.
Liberal incumbent Joanne Bernard had a high-profile cabinet position as community services minister but has weathered critiques from some quarters for being a weak constituency MLA. The NDP are fielding Susan Leblanc who is well known in the community for her volunteer activities and as the co-artistic director of Zuppa Theatre.
Prior to Bernard’s win in 2013, the riding has voted for a New Democrat in every election since 1998.
Melanie Russell is running for the Progressive Conservatives, David Boyd is running for the Atlantica Party, and Tyler Colbourne is running for the Greens.
Halifax Chebucto
NDP Leader Gary Burrill is hoping to unseat Liberal incumbent Joachim Stroink in Halifax Chebucto. Burrill doesn’t have a seat in the legislature, he lost a re-election bid in Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley in 2013.
Stroink first won the traditionally NDP riding on the Liberal tide in 2013. Prior to his win the riding was an NDP stronghold dating back to the 1980s, with one exception – the Liberals won the riding in 1993. Stroink has been pounding the pavement for months now to try and upset the riding’s NDP tradition.
Both Burrill and Stroink have each sat in the legislature for one mandate. John Wesley Chisholm is running for the Progressive Conservatives and Casey Meijer is running for the Greens.
Halifax Citadel-Sable Island
Liberal incumbent Labi Kousoulis is up against well-known Progressive Conservative candidate Rob Batherson in Halifax Citadel-Sable Island. He is a longtime Tory and worked for former premier John Hamm.
Batherson’s political experience and decision to run this year after staying in the backrooms of politics for several years, suggests he thinks he has a strong chance of winning, but Kousoulis likely has the upper hand. He kept a low profile as a cabinet minister in the Liberal government.
Glenn Walton is running for the NDP and Martin Willison is running for the Green Party.
Hammonds Plains-Lucasville
Liberal incumbent Ben Jessome is fending off a push from Halifax Councillor and Progressive Conservative candidate Matt Whitman.
The riding was formed prior to the 2013 election and doesn’t have a clear cut partisan history. The former riding of Hammonds Plains-Upper Sackville elected people from all three major parties between 1993 and 2009. However, the longest streak saw three Progressive Conservative wins from 1999 to 2006.
Whitman won the municipal election with 55 per cent of the votes, with two other candidates in the race. He’s a popular, but also controversial, councillor. Jessome was a backbencher in the Liberal government. Paul McGuinness is running for the NDP and Jessica Alexander is running for the Greens.
Chester-St. Margaret’s candidates
The NDP are not taking Chester-St. Margaret’s for granted in this election.
Denise Peterson-Rafuse was one of the last New Democrats standing in the 2013 election but she’s facing stiff competition from the Liberals, and the Tories are also fielding a strong candidate.
Peterson-Rafuse took a leave of absence in 2016 after a multiple sclerosis diagnosis. She returned several months later and says she is in good health.
Hugh MacKay is running for the Liberals, Julie Chaisson is running for the Tories and Harry Ward is running for the Greens.
Sackville-Beaver Bank
Liberal incumbent Stephen Gough is running against former Halifax councillor Brad Johns.
In a sign of a tight race, McNeil returned to the riding on Friday for a campaign stop. Johns has a lot of name recognition in the riding from his long stint as a councillor — so if an anti-Liberal vote develops it could coalesce around him.
Dennis Kutchera is running for the NDP, Michael Montgomery is running for the Green Party, and Rita Billington is running for the Atlantica Party.
Eastern Shore
The ultimate bellwether riding — Eastern Shore is one to watch because it has elected a government MLA in every election since the 1980s.
Liberal incumbent Kevin Murphy was the speaker of the legislature under the Liberals’ government. He is running against Progressive Conservative Patricia Auchnie, New Democrat Devin Ashley, Green candidate Andy Berry, and independent candidate Randy Carter.
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