Saint John-Rothesay’s Liberal incumbent is looking at a third term as the member of Parliament.
As of early Tuesday, Wayne Long had 16,353 votes while Conservative candidate Mel Norton had 11,653 votes.
Long says the win is the result of hard work, teamwork and conveying a “progressive message to Saint John-Rothesay.”
“We didn’t have big corporates on our side, we had the people of Saint John-Rothesay on our side. … We knew what we were up against this time with Mel Norton. Erin O’Toole came to this riding twice. We know the Conservatives wanted this riding back in the Conservative ledger but, we said ‘no,'” Long said.
Long spoke with Norton over the phone early Monday evening when the Conservative candidate called to concede.
“[He] basically said he would help me move the riding forward in any way that he could and I appreciate that. I have a lot of respect for Mel Norton and everything he has done in the past,” Long said.
Long said all the other candidates did a good job and ran great campaigns.
NDP candidate Don Paulin currently has 4,642 votes, People’s Party candidate Nicholas Pereira has 1,943 votes, and Green candidate Ann McAllister has 905 votes.
When asked where things may have gone wrong, Norton said it never goes wrong when it’s up to the people of this community.
“In a democratic process, there is no wrong, there is only right,” he said.
Norton said he heard a lot of concerns on the campaign trail about affordability, pandemic recovery and housing.
He was asked if it was Conservative leader Erin O’Toole and the party’s policies that didn’t connect with voters.
“We had the really good fortune of having the leader here. He is a person that has tried to pull together the country in a message of unity and progress and moving forward,” Norton said.
“As I told our MP if there is anything I can do to support this community in a role in any way. Whether it’s picking up a shovel or picking up a phone, I’m happy to always do that because this is a community that I deeply cherish,”
The former Saint John mayor said at the end of the day, you have to respect the choice the public has made.
Wayne and Denise Long are jubilant following his win in Saint John-Rothesay. pic.twitter.com/AIqut26nRr
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) September 21, 2021
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