It must have been a hot day to get the vote out in Calgary, but if you are settling for the evening to watch for the results, I hear that my friend from the ES Nation @oberhoffner will be attempting to live-tweet the results.
In the 18 provincial by-elections held in Alberta since 1979, only three have resulted in seats changing parties:
2007: Calgary-Elbow (PC to Liberal)Also, 7 of the 18 by-elections resulted in close races where the elected MLA was decided by less than 1,000 votes:
1992: Three Hills-Airdrie (PC to Liberal)
1982: Olds-Three Hills (PC to Western Canadian Concept)
2007: Calgary-Elbow (Liberal gain by 784 votes)You can also watch results come in on the Elections Alberta website
2000: Red Deer-North (PC hold by 392 votes)
1996: Redwater (Liberal hold by 98 votes)
1995: Calgary-McCall (PC hold by 516 votes)
1990: Little Bow (PC hold by 262 votes)
1985: Spirit River-Fairview (NDP hold by 462 votes)
1979: Barrhead (PC hold by 355 votes)
Crazy, eh? Gordon Kesler won the seat in February 1982, but ran in the November 1982 general election in Highwood. Two things stick out in my memory about what I read about Kesler.
ReplyDelete1) During the by-election, he said the if he won he would move to Olds-Disbury. He didn't by November, so he ran where he lived, in Highwood. He was defeated in Highwood.
2) Peter Lougheed refused to debate him in a leadership debate, so Kesler followed Lougheed around the province ambushing him at media and campaign events, daring him to debate. I'm guessing that following around Lougheed and not campaigning for votes in the riding he was seeking election was probably one of the reasons he was defeated.
I have no idea where Gordon Kesler is in 2009. Anyone?
I'm sure he's keeping busy teabagging.
ReplyDeleteWow, Paul Hinman is doing well so far. Pretty shocked to see the Tories in third!
ReplyDeleteIt may go to the wire Liberal vs WAP.
ReplyDelete"I have no idea where Gordon Kesler is in 2009. Anyone?"
ReplyDeleteMy Dad's actually known Gordon Kesler for a number of years, and even he didn't know Gord was an MLA when I asked him about it a few years ago.
Gord runs a Chevy dealership in the little town of Acme... which is about an hour and a bit north-east of Calgary.