One of the two outstanding races in Kitchener’s ridings for the 2021 federal election appears to be over.
While a winner has not been officially declared, on Twitter, Liberal candidate Valerie Bradford for Kitchener South—Hespeler declared victory as Conservative candidate Tyler Calver also conceded defeat on Facebook.
The two were locked neck-in-neck early Tuesday as 668 votes separated the pair and the mail-in ballots remained to be counted. Those numbers have not officially been released yet.
“It’s official! Proud to be the Liberal Party MP for our wonderful riding of Kitchener South—Hespeler,” Bradford wrote on Twitter.
“To the volunteers, to friends and family, and to the voters who live and learn here – thank you!”
Calver, who is a journalist for CTV, also noted that the votes were in, saying that he had fallen short.
“Moments ago, I took the time to congratulate Valerie Bradford and her wonderful team on their successful victory,” he said in a video posted to Facebook.
“I believe she will make an excellent representative for us here in Kitchener, South Hespeler.”
He went on to say that he hoped the federal leaders worked to close the divide between Canadians.
“We have more in common than we do that divides us,” Calver said.
“And I hope that our future leaders will embrace this mindset and bring hope to the people of Kitchener South—Hespeler.”
This is not the only race in Kitchener that has come down to the wire as there is also a tight battle in Kitchener—Conestoga.
As of Tuesday morning, incumbent Liberal MP Tim Louis held a lead of just 174 votes over rival Carlene Hawley.