NDP's Carla Compton wins Tuxedo byelection, wrestling longtime stronghold away from PCs

The Manitoba NDP'sCarla Compton has been elected in a Winnipeg riding that has previouslyonly voted Progressive Conservative in its entire four-decade history.

The New Democrats won Tuxedo, long regarded as a Tory stronghold,by a margin of just over 600 votes.

"Tonight, we haveproven there is no such thing as a safe PC seat in Manitoba,"Compton said to rousing applause, at a victory party at theOriginal Joe's restaurant on KenastonBoulevard.

With all polling stations reporting,Compton garnered 3,777 votes, ahead of Progressive Conservativecandidate Lawrence Pinsky, who had3,175, according to Elections Manitoba's unofficial results.

As well, Liberal candidate Jamie Pfau had the support of 569 voters, and the Green Party'sJanine Gibson received118 votes.

Turnout was45.6 per cent, the provincial agency said.

Thebyelectionwas called after the riding's Tory MLA, former premier Heather Stefanson, announced her retirement from politics earlier this year.

Pinskysuggested he would contest the Tuxedo nomination again for the Tories.

"We will take this back. We will form the government. We will put Manitoba back on the right track," he said inhis concession speech.

"We got 3years, which unfortunately will be a problem for the rest of Manitoba, but we will take it back."

The family lawyer, whocampaigned with a focus on public safety and provincial finances, blamed his loss on the fact the NDP called the byelectionbefore any other party had their candidate in place, which he called an "opportunistic call" by the premier.

"If we had a little more time, we would have won for sure," Pinskysaid, before his campaign manager called off the scrum with reporters after one question.

The provincial seat in west-central Winnipeg has historically been a Progressive Conservative stronghold, but the NDP came within 276 votes of upsetting the Tories in last October's general election, despite barely campaigning in the riding.

This time around, the now-governing New Democrats deployed significant resources in a successfuleffort to snatch the riding from the PCs.

"What means so much to me is that for Carla Comptonto win Tuxedo, it does send a serious message that this is 'OneManitoba,'" Premier Wab Kinew said.

WATCH | NDP captures riding that's always gone Tory blue:

NDP's Carla Compton wins byelection in Winnipeg's Tuxedo riding

4 months ago

Duration 1:31

Hemodialysis nurse Carla Compton did something no NDP candidate has ever accomplished: beat the Progressive Conservatives in the affluent Winnipeg riding of Tuxedo. With the win in Tuesday's byelection, the NDP widens its majority in the Manitoba Legislature and gives the PCs plenty to ponder as they look forward to choosing a new leader next year.

The NDP went into the byelectionenjoyingcontinued popularity across Winnipeg.

A recent Probe Research poll suggests the NDP has the backing of more Winnipeggers than it enjoyed on election day. The online survey of 1,000 adults was conducted between May 28 and June 9, 2024.

Only two other MLAs have been elected by voters of Tuxedo since the affluent constituency was formed 43 years ago, both of whom were Tories who went on to become premier. Stefanson and her Tuxedo predecessor, Gary Filmon, won a total of 13 general elections or byelections in the riding.

Wayne Ewasko, the current PC interim leader, didn't see Tuesday'sresult as an indictment on his party's recent performance.

He criticized the NDPfor the early byelection callthat forced the PCs to speed up the timeline of its nomination race.

"I'm very proud of our party. As I've said before, we have work to do; we're never going to shy away from that," he said.

"We have the members, we have the volunteers. We just gotta keep working hard."

The loss is another electoral setback for the Progressive Conservatives, which lost a divisive election campaign last fall that severalhigh-ranking party members later denounced for campaign ads touting its opposition to a landfill search for the remains of murdered women.

Stefanson, who had held the Tuxedo riding in Winnipeg for the Tories since 2000, announcedshe would step down as party leader after the PCslost last October's election, and later announced she would also resign as MLA.

The Tories will choose Stefanson's successor as party leader in 2025.

In the byelection, four candidates sought to be Tuxedo'snext MLA.

Compton, a hemodialysis nurse, beat the PC's Pinsky,theLiberals' Pfau,an advocate for foster parents and a PhD candidate in community health sciences, and Gibson, the Green Party's leader.