MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - The Yellowhead riding’s Conservative candidate said he is humbled by the wave of support that propelled him far ahead of the other contenders.
William Stevenson was keeping a close eye on the numbers as the riding’s 252 polls were reporting in alongside approximately 80 people who gathered at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #53 in Carstairs Monday night.
“It’s pretty early on yet,” Stevenson told the Albertan over the phone at around 9:15 p.m.
“The trend is looking good for Yellowhead for myself, but we’ve got a long ways to go,” he said.
With 95 of 252 polls reporting, Stevenson had 19,472 votes – or 77 per cent according to figures posted by Elections Canada.
“I’m feeling a little bit humbled at the moment that the people of Yellowhead have put that much faith in me and in my team,” he said.
“I’m thrilled with all the support that came from all corners of this diverse riding.”
By the time 174 of the 252 polls (69.05 per cent) reported, Stevenson had 31,634 votes.
Michael Fark, the Liberal candidate, was in second place with 7,828 votes, Avni Soma, the NDP candidate, was a distant third with 1,467 votes. Vicky Bayford, PPC, and Dale Heath, Christian Heritage Party, were in fourth and fifth place respectively with 641 and 173 votes.
“I don’t know where the polls will end up at the end – our final numbers – but it looks good for us so far,” said Stevenson.
“I think the people of Yellowhead were ready for a change,” he said.
Stevenson, an accountant by trade, expressed gratitude to his team.
“Especially my wife. She’s been there the whole time,” he said, adding covering so much ground in such a large riding was no easy feat.
“She’s been my chauffeur for a lot of it.”
As for the national stage, which had the Liberal Party leading in 164 districts with the Conservatives on their heels leading 146 ridings, he said declaring one way or another was still premature.
“They’re declaring a lot of things pretty early,” he said about some early news reports.
“I’m confident we’ll do well,” he said.
“I think Canada overall is ready for change,” he said, adding he felt the CPC ran a good election campaign.
“The platform has resonated with a lot of people throughout the riding, so we’ll see how it goes come the end of the night.”
Despite the Liberal Party’s lead, Stevenson remained hopeful the tide could yet change as more polls continued reporting from Western Canada.
For his part, he sounded confident about his odds in Yellowhead.
“I just look forward to bringing everyone from our Yellowhead tent and representing every single one of our individuals that make up this riding,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to benefiting everyone in the riding.”
