Kayabaga makes history, retains London West for Liberals
Arielle Kayabaga has won London’s most hotly contested race in the 44th federal election.
The Ward 13 city councillor was declared the projected winner in London West on Monday evening, holding a seat the Liberals have had since Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister in 2015.
She defeated Conservative Rob Flack, Shawna Lewkowitz of the NDP, PPC candidate Mike McMullen, and Libertarian Jacques Boudreau.
The political retirement of Kate Young left the seat open, and it became a target of all three major parties.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh visited the riding on Wednesday of last week, while both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative leader Erin O’Toole made visits on Friday.
It’s a history making win as Kayabaga becomes the first person of colour to represent a London riding federally.
Kayabaga also ends a streak that goes all the way back to 1993. Pat O’Brien was the last current or former member of London City Council to be elected to a federal or provincial seat – despite a more than a dozen attempts at the jump by the likes of Roger Caranci, Paul Van Meerbergen, Cheryl Miller, and Judy Bryant in various elections since.
The race came with ups and downs for the soon to be MP. Her campaign manager left the campaign about two weeks before the vote, and was replaced by somebody from outside of the riding.
She’ll leave her council seat, and her former colleagues will decide who replaces her for the remaining year on her term.
Read original story from London Ontario – BlackburnNews.com