Langley results: Liberal minister Polak wins seat despite campaign controversy

Liberal Transportation Minister Mary Polak has held onto her Langley seat in a clear victory over the NDP challenger and B.C. Conservative leader.

Polak won with 50 per cent of the vote as of 8:50 p.m. election night. She handily defeated Conservative party leader John Cummins, who took home 11.8 per cent, and NDP candidate Andrew Mercier, who won 28.5 per cent.

Polak had to deal with some controversy late in the race when her campaign manager Todd Hauptman resigned, saying that he could not campaign in a riding where voters had “hateful attitudes” toward the gay community. She was also put in the spotlight once again over the government’s handling of the Port Mann Bridge file after a Global News investigation revealed concerns over ice falling from the bridge were raised years before last December’s “ice bombs” incident. Ministry representatives were on the panel awarding the bridge contract to a Liberal donor.

Polak was first elected to the legislature in 2005, after having previously served as a member of the Surrey School Board. In that position, she supported a ban on three children’s books depicting same-sex parents.

Conservative leader John Cummins is a former MP for Delta-Richmond East.