Conservatives hang on to federal Oxford riding with Khanna edging Hilderley | 24CA News
After a carefully contested race that divided a rural southwestern Ontario driving, Conservative Party candidate Arpan Khanna has been declared the unofficial winner.
According to Elections Canada, with 220 of 267 polls accounted for at 1 a.m., Khanna garnered 42.4 per cent of the vote, with second place Liberal Party candidate David Hilderley receiving 36.7 per cent.
Speaking on the Woodstock Agriculture Hall after midnight, Khanna thanked his marketing campaign workers, supporters and household to the cheering applause of the group.
Speaking for roughly 5 minutes to the excited crowd, Khanna mentioned he couldn’t wait to get to work because the MP for Oxford in Ottawa.
“For that single parent that has to choose between milk and cereal, for that farmer who is putting food on tables but is having trouble with his own table… we hear you and I’ll fight for you every single day,” mentioned Khanna.
The byelection in Oxford was one in all 4 held throughout Canada Monday, with the one in Quebec and the opposite two in Manitoba.
While the Conservative Party was capable of dangle on to a seat it has held since 2004, it was not with out controversy within the driving that features the communities of Woodstock and Ingersoll.
Oxford’s outgoing MP – Dave MacKenzie, who introduced he was stepping down from the seat in December – known as the race “the nastiest campaign that we’ve ever seen in our riding.”
“It’s divided our party and our community,” he mentioned in an interview.
MacKenzie gained within the 2021 federal election with almost 47 per cent of the vote, a 27-point margin over the Liberal candidate.
But his shock endorsement of Hilderley, a retired faculty instructor and principal whom he calls “an honest guy,” turned heads.
The difficulty at hand was MacKenzie and Hilderley’s assertion that Khanna, a lawyer, was a parachute candidate introduced in via meddling by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and House Leader Andrew Scheer.
Khanna helped Poilievre’s marketing campaign in Ontario through the management marketing campaign and ran as a candidate for Scheer in a Brampton driving in 2019.
MacKenzie mentioned Khanna’s nomination has led to folks cancelling their Conservative memberships and clawing again donations.
Speaking after addressing the group, Khanna mentioned he revered MacKenzie and hoped that he would get his help within the subsequent election.
“I want to thank him for his service and wish him all the best,” added Khanna.
As of 1 a.m., NDP candidate Cody Groat took third place within the race with 10.2 per cent, with Christian Heritage Party candidate John Markus in fourth at 4.5 per cent.
The remaining candidates had been Wendy Martin of the People’s Party of Canada, receiving 3.6 per cent, Cheryle Baker of the Green Party, getting 2.2 per cent and perennial Independent candidate John The Engineer Turmel completed final with lower than one per cent of the vote.
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