Alberta NDP candidate Kyle Campbell has been elected to be the next MLA for Calgary-Shaw. Campbell edged out UCP challenger Mike Derry by 582 votes cast in a tight race for the fall byelection. Other candidates included teacher Kyle Joseph for the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta, who came in with 978 votes, while lawyer John Roggeveen for the Liberal Party of Alberta received 602 of ballots cast. Rolly Ashdown, who ran as an Independent, finished last with 82 votes. “I always had running for political office on the bucket list,” Campbell said told supporters after the results were announced. “I’m glad that we can focus on what truly matters…this opportunity is a chance to live what I believe in my heart, which is leadership is about service.” Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi described the win as an “earthquake” for the party. “This means that 35 days from today, we send Danielle Smith and her separatist pals packing, and within a year from now, we give Albertans the NDP government they deserve.” The riding has been a longtime Tory stronghold, with the UCP holding the seat for the last two terms. It has been represented by various right-of-centre parties since it was formed in 1986, with Alberta’s NDP holding the seat for one lone term from 2015 to 2019. Calgary-Shaw’s last representative, UCP MLA and former environment minister Rebecca Schulz, resigned earlier this year. It was a tight race after polls closed on Monday night, with Campbell and Derry neck-and-neck throughout the count. Shortly before the results were announced, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi told party supporters the close race turned the riding into a swing spot for the NDP. “We lost in this riding in 2019 by 40 points. This was considered one of the safest, if not the safest, conservative seats in Calgary,” Nenshi told the crowd. “Tonight… you all have proved something. There are no safe conservative seats in Calgary.” Campbell, who is a husband, father of two young boys and cancer survivor, had previously said health care and affordability were top of mind for him throughout the campaign. He also said that the looming vote on whether Alberta should remain in Canada or if the province should move forward with a binding referendum on whether to separate from the country was another prominent concern for voters that “always came up” when he was door-knocking. “Under the surface was always people are proud Canadians,” Campbell told reporters. “They don’t want the referendum, and they wished the government would focus on what really mattered in everyday lives of Albertans.” Premier Danielle Smith congratulated Campbell for his victory in a statement on social media while also thanking Derry for running. “The voters of Calgary-Shaw have spoken and our UCP government will work constructively with their new MLA to ensure their constituency’s needs are fully addressed,” Smith said.
