Conservatives snatch urban riding to solidify London, Ont. region base
Conservative candidates cruised to victory in the rural ridings ringing London
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The Conservatives tightened their grip Monday on the 10-riding London region, snatching an urban riding in London to increase the party’s seat count to eight.
Kurt Holman, who knocked off the NDP’s Lyndsay Mathyssen in London-Fanshawe, and Andrew Lawton, who took Elgin-St. Thomas-London South after a bruising campaign, are the new faces for the Conservatives who swept the region’s rural ridings, including Middlesex-London, a new riding combining the city’s north end with Middlesex County.
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Conservative candidates cruised to victory in the rural ridings ringing London, winning 50 per cent or more of the votes cast.
But while London-area Conservative candidates did their part, the party was denied a majority that seemed all but certain before Justin Trudeau resigned as prime minister and Donald Trump was elected as president of the United States.
The emergence of the untested Mark Carney as the new Liberal leader and Trump’s declaration of a trade war against Canada (and nearly every other country on the planet) caused a huge Conservative lead in the polls to vanish as the focus of voters shifted from affordability to the threat of Trump.
“If this election would have been in October, we probably would have won by 40 or 50 per cent,” said Ben Lobb, the Conservative candidate who won his sixth consecutive term in Huron-Bruce.
Lobb praised Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for drawing young people to the party.
“The greatest contribution he’s made to the party is renewing it, refreshing it, and bringing young people into politics … first time voters that are in their 20s.”
Other London region Conservative stalwarts such as Dave Epp in Chatham-Kent–Leamington, Marilyn Gladu in Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong and John Nater in Perth-Wellington, rolled up big wins.
Nater, who was first elected in 2015, said election day is “only poll that matters.
“I always say, don’t get too excited about the best polls. Don’t get too negative about the worst poll. Just keep working. And that’s what we’ve done throughout this campaign.”
Lawton, who wrote a biography of Poilievre, and Arpan Khanna, a Conservative who won the riding of Oxford in a 2023 byelection, faced more of an uphill battle in their campaigns.
Lawton wasn’t endorsed by Karen Vecchio, who held the riding for the Conservatives from 2015 until she stepped down when the election was called. About 200 people protested outside Lawton’s campaign office in St. Thomas during the campaign, criticizing him for previous comments about certain groups for which he has apologized.
“The people have spoken,” said Lawton, who garnered more than 50 per cent of the votes cast.
In Oxford, Khanna faced off again against David Hilderley of the Liberals in a rematch of the byelection. The two sparred during the campaign when Hilderley criticized Khanna for missing a debate held by a union that represents autoworkers.
Hilderley also accused his Conservative rival of fear-mongering over a letter circulated to several Oxford County churches suggesting the Liberals intend to end the tax-exempt status for places of worship.
“Oxford County residents want someone to stand up for them and fight for them …I will be the hardest working member of Parliament in this country,” Khanna said.
In Middlesex-London, Lianne Rood successfully straddled the rural-urban divide in the riding that welded north London with Middlesex County.
“I think there’s lots of commonalities between those who live in London and those who live in the rural areas, and I will be in Parliament to fight for everything that I’ve heard at the doors,” said Rood, who was first elected in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex in 2019.
And like they were in the last Parliament, Peter Fragiskatos (London Centre) and Airelle Kayabaga (London West) will be the lone Liberals in the London region – and the lone members of Carney’s team west of Kitchener.
Kayabaga, who was named to Carney’s cabinet shortly before he called the election, promised to fight for retirees and small businesses.
“We’re going to show Trump that this assault is harmful for both our countries and that he has to back down. We’re going to protect the USMCA agreement because it protects our businesses across the country.”
With files from Free Press reporters Jack Moulton, Beatriz Baleeiro, Heather Rivers and Brian Williams; Scott Nixon of the Exeter-Lakeshore Times Advance; and Bill Atwood of the Stratford Beacon Herald
WHAT HAPPENED AROUND THE REGION
Conservatives snatch urban riding to solidify London region base
London: Liberals hold firm as NDP loses long-safe seat
Elgin-St. Thomas-London South: Ex-radio host Andrew Lawton wins
Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong: Conservative Marilyn Gladu wins fourth term
Chatham-Kent–Leamington: Conservative Dave Epp rolls to victory
Huron-Bruce: Conservative Ben Lobb re-elected
Oxford: Arpan Khanna retains Conservative stronghold
Perth-Wellington: John Nater wins fourth term
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