Blaine Calkins is the MP elect for the Ponoka-Didsbury constituency.
As of 9:45pm mountain time on Monday, the Conservative candidate had captured over 80 per cent of the votes in the riding with 175 of the 216 polls reporting. He says “it is bitter sweet to say goodbye to folks in Red Deer and Maskwacis but I am very much excited to meet and get to know and serve the people of Didsbury, and Olds, and Mountain View, and Red Deer County. So I’m excited about it to be honest with you.”
Calkins was followed by Logan Hooley of the NDP with almost 11 per cent, Grant Abraham of the United Party of Canada with about 3 per cent, Zarnab Zafar with no affiliation at just over 2 per cent, and Larry Gratton of the People’s Party of Canada with just under 2 per cent.
When it comes to the national vote and the race to form government between Mark Carney’s Liberals and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives, Calkins expected the evening to come down to the wire. He says “I think it is going to be a nail bitter. It’s going to come down to a number of close counts across the country. I’ve never seen anything like it. I wasn’t sure what to expect today and I don’t even know what to expect at this moment.”
This is the seventh time that Calkins has won a seat in the House of Commons. He has been an MP since 2006 with previous victories coming in the constituencies of Wetaskiwin and most recently Red Deer-Lacombe.
