The NDP has a firm grasp of Edmonton-area ridings, two hours after polls closed.
High-profile candidates such as Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel and UCP star candidate Len Rhodes were both en route to decisive defeats at the hands of their NDP opponents.
The loss for Mandel, the city’s former mayor and one of the Alberta Party’s most well-known faces, puts his future with the party in question. He had only been at the helm of the up-start party since February 2018.
“We’re optimistic about the future of the party … we will continue to work hard,” Mandel said in his concession speech in Edmonton.
“I look forward to seeing the next steps, what’s going to happen to the party. I really believe this is the party of the future,” Mandel said, adding that he believes the party can be an option for people who want to step away from deep political polarization in Alberta.
NDP incumbent Lorne Dach is projected to win the Edmonton-McClung riding, with approximately 44 per cent of the vote, to the UCP Laurie Mozeson’s 34 per cent, and Mandel’s 21 per cent.
Meanwhile, other NDP candidates, including past cabinet members, are projected to handily win their ridings.
Former NDP deputy premier Sarah Hoffman is expected to easily retain her seat in Edmonton-Glenora, with a solid lead over the UCP candidate, Marjorie Newman.
David Eggen, who headed the education file for the past four years, swept past his closest competitor in the riding of Edmonton-Northwest.
In perhaps the least surprising Edmonton result, NDP leader Rachel Notley is projected to win with 70 per cent of the vote.
New faces elected
The projected NDP winners in Edmonton also include some new faces.
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In Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, former teacher Janis Irwin trounced the UCP candidate, capturing more than 60 per cent of the vote with the majority of polls reporting.
Rhodes was hand-picked to run in the new riding of Edmonton-Meadows by Kenney, who used his leadership powers to appoint Rhodes over three others who had spent months vying for NDP the nomination. The appointment caused waves within the riding’s UCP base, with 14 members of the constituency association complaining about the appointment.
Some Edmonton ridings were still too close to call.
In Edmonton-West Henday, NDP incumbent Jon Carson had only a 400-vote lead over UCP candidate Nicole Williams, with more than 90 per cent of polls reporting.
In Edmonton-South West, fewer than 300 votes separated UCP candidate Kaycee Madu from the NDP’s John Archer, with approximately 60 per cent of polls reporting.
The NDP quickly ran into trouble south of the capital city, however.
The party appeared unable to maintain its grip on Red Deer, with incumbents in the city’s two ridings expected to cede their seats to UCP candidates.
In Red Deer North, UCP candidate Adriana LaGrange, a school trustee, is projected to win with more than double the votes of NDP incumbent Kim Schreiner.
Similarly, in Red Deer South, lawyer and chartered accountant Jason Stephan had more than 4,000 votes over NDP incumbent Barb Miller, with more than two-thirds of polls reporting.