The NDP’s remarkable 2020 Fraser Valley surge continued Saturday, with the party flipping the long-BC Liberal held seat of Abbtosford-Mission.
Mission Mayor Pam Alexis took the seat for the New Democrats, beating BC Liberal incumbent Simon Gibson by 744 votes, according to Elections BC’s final count of outstanding ballots on Saturday.
It is a riding where the Liberals will face a debate about vote splitting in the months to come, after BC Conservative candidate Trevor Hamilton picked up 1,989 votes.
The BC Liberals have won Abbotsford-Mission with more than 50 per cent of the vote in every election since it was created in 2009.
Alexis, the current Mission mayor, beat incumbent Mayor Randy Hawes in 2018, securing 5,166 votes to the 2,541 votes Hawes received. Hawes also happens to be a former Liberal MLA.
The NDP has never won a seat in Abbotsford. The strong showing in Chilliwack, Langley and Abbotsford is pointing towards Premier John Horgan considering one of the newly elected representatives in the region for his cabinet. If Alexis wins this seat, she would be on the short list for consideration.
Candidates
- BC Liberals: Simon Gibson
- BC NDP: Pam Alexis
- BC Greens: Stephen Fowler
- BC: Conservatives: Trevor Hamilton
- Christian Heritage Party: Aeriol Alderking
Swing riding meter
Based on the 2017 election results, Abbotsford is not considered a swing riding. But with a star candidate that could change. The BC Liberals won by 22 per cent, the 48th closest riding in the 2017 provincial election.
2017 election results
- BC Liberal: Simon Gibson — 12,879 votes (51.19%)
- BC NDP: Andrew Christie — 7,339 votes (29.17%)
- BC Greens: Jennifer Holmes — 4,297 (17.08%)
- Christian Heritage Party: Dan Cameron — 644 votes (2.56%)
This profile will continually be updated to reflect latest information, interviews and events in the campaign.
Find full B.C. 2020 provincial election coverage here.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots were requested across B.C. this election. As mail-in ballots cannot be counted until after election night, these results are not final.
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