Conservative Party incumbent Karen Vecchio is projected to be re-elected in the riding of Elgin—Middlesex—London.
“I am so proud of our team. We really worked to get out there to talk to people, recognizing it was COVID. We did a contactless campaign, and … contactless is not who I am,” Vecchio told 980 CFPL after the results came in.
“I didn’t know what the results would be until they started coming in tonight. I really had no idea. I knew we were solid, but I didn’t know … where we were going to stand,” she added, noting that the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) “were taking a little bit of my vote away.”
In 2019, the PPC’s candidate took 1.5 per cent of the vote. This year, preliminary results show the party’s candidate, Chelsea Hillier, snagged roughly 12 per cent. The same results show Vecchio took 50 per cent of the vote Monday, roughly the same as in 2019.
“It’s been really difficult and really challenging,” Vecchio said of the pandemic and the campaign.
“But I kind of look at this whole election … I worked really closely with my staff, and I think this is a way of people saying, ‘hey, you guys do a really good job. I’m really proud of Team Vecchio here.’ And that’s what we do. I’m so glad that we’re continuing to be able to serve the community.”
Vecchio’s win continues the Conservatives near-two decade reign in the riding.
Vecchio was re-elected in 2019 for a second term, beating Liberal candidate Pam Armstrong by 16,702 votes with 50.2 per cent. She was first elected in the riding in 2015 with 49.2 per cent, beating Liberal candidate Lori Baldwin-Sands by 10,381 votes.
The riding has been a Conservative stronghold since 2004 thanks in large part to Joe Preston, who went undefeated in the riding until his parliamentary retirement in 2015.
Vecchio kept the throne blue in 2015 as the Conservatives became the official Opposition, with Preston later finding municipal success in his election as St. Thomas mayor in 2018.
Elgin-Middlesex-London was home to 115,052 people as of the 2016 census.
Immigrants make up 13 per cent of this riding’s population, with popular origin countries consisting of Mexico, the U.K. and the Netherlands, according to the 2016 census. The most popular non-official languages in the district include German and Dutch.
Elgin—Middlesex—London includes all of Elgin County, the portion of Middlesex County that includes the municipality of Thames Centre and the entire city of St. Thomas. London’s southern outskirts are also contained within the district. Lake Erie borders the southern portion of the riding.
Candidates
Conservative: Karen Vecchio (incumbent)
Green: Amanda Stark
Liberal: Afeez Ajibowu
NDP: Katelyn Cody
People’s Party of Canada: Chelsea Hillier
Christian Heritage Party of Canada: Michael Hopkins