Results from around the region
Greene gives Samson a race in Richmond
Progressive Conservative John Greene, a first-time candidate, gave incumbent Liberal Michel Samson a run for the money in Richmond, finishing a strong second with 40 per cent of the vote. Samson ended the night with 2722 votes (48 per cent) to Greene's 2268.
In the 2003 election, Samson won by a landslide vote of 3047 to 1850 for the Conservatives' Richie Cotton and 1036 for Clair Rankin of the NDP.
In Tuesday's vote, Richmond NDP candidate Mary Pat Cude finished with 529 votes, or nine per cent of the vote. The Green Party's Noreen Hartlen received 88 votes.
In Inverness there were no surprises as incumbent PC candidate and premier Rodney MacDonald won handily with 70 per cent of the vote. The Liberals took 15 per cent and the NDP managed 12 per cent in Inverness.
Antigonish PC incumbent and Minister of Transportation Angus MacIsaac had a strong victory, finishing with 48 per cent of the vote to the Liberal's 31 per cent and the NDP's 19 per cent.
One of the biggest surprises of the evening came in Pictou County where two of the three provincial seats went NDP. Charlie Parker was returned in Pictou West and Clarrie MacKinnon took Pictou East in the riding Conservative Jim DeWolfe vacated for personal reasons. In John Hamm's former seat of Pictou Centre, Tory candidate Pat Dunn won by a large majority.
In conceding defeat, Liberal leader Francis MacKenzie said he accepted and respected the decision of voters who elected only nine Liberal MLAs. As for the future, he called election day "the end of a journey for me."
Although MacKenzie said he gave his best, he acknowledged that "something wasn't resonating in our message." MacKenzie also lost his bid to win a seat for himself in Bedford.
While MacKenzie's campaign headquarters had a subdued atmosphere, there was jubilation at Darrell Dexter's NDP headquarters where supporters celebrated the NDP's strongest finish ever in the province. Dexter's party gained five seats for a total of 20 members going to the legislature. In his remarks to supporters, Dexter said he had already spoken with MacDonald and offered to continue working with the PCs in a minority government.
He congratulated and thanked his campaign volunteers and candidates, noting the growth of NDP support.
"And tonight we have won seats that a few years ago no one would have put in the NDP column."
Before an enthusiastic crowd in Mabou, Premier MacDonald also pledged to continue making minority government work.
"For those Nova Scotians who voted for other parties, thank you for making your voice heard in this democracy." He said voters elected "a government where co-operation among all MLA must be the rule, not the exception. I pledge to do my part…and always put the people's interests first."
