Local lawyer Tim McLeod has won the Moose Jaw North riding for the Saskatchewan Party with an overwhelming majority of votes, once again securing the constituency for the incumbent majority government.
“I’m really excited, it's been a long campaign but it has been a lot of fun as well and the numbers so far are encouraging. We’re certainly optimistic about the results,” said McLeod, prior to the completion of ballot reports.
With 51 of 51 ballot boxes reported on election night, McLeod received 4,279 votes reported on election night, prior to the inclusion of the 951 mail-in ballots, while opponent Kyle Lichtenwald received 2,103 votes as the NDP candidate in the riding. Green Party candidate North Hunter garnered 152 votes.
“I’d be remiss to not acknowledge the efforts of my opponents, both Kyle Lichtenwald and North Marie Hunter, in putting forth a great deal of effort and I think they deserve acknowledgment for a hard-fought campaign,” said McLeod. “Regardless of the result, it takes a lot of time and energy to run an election campaign and I think they should be congratulated for that.”
Moose Jaw North is a long-standing Sask. Party stronghold, previously held by former MLA Warren Michelson since he was first elected in 2007.
McLeod secured the Sask. Party nomination earlier this year after Michelson announced he would not be seeking re-election this fall, and he is pleased to see a victory for the incumbent party after a long campaign.
“Warren did an absolutely great job of connecting with the community and building a base of support here and he leaves big shoes to fill, so I’m relieved that the community has demonstrated faith in me to try and fill those shoes,” said McLeod.
McLeod spent Election Day continuing to canvas the constituency until the last moment polls were open, and he shared a message of thanks to everyone who has supported his campaign.
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for all the dedicated volunteers that have come out and helped with the campaign along the way. It was shocking to me, how many people were willing to generously give up their time and energy towards the campaign and I’ll be eternally grateful to all of them,” said McLeod. “It's incredibly humbling to have that kind of support from such great people in the community.”
Lichtenwald was unavailable for comment on election night.
Due to the large volume of mail-in ballots cast in this election, the numbers reported in this article could change between publishing and when the final ballot count is completed after Nov. 7.
For a look at the full election results, be sure to visit results.elections.sk.ca/.
