Even as her effort to take down a long-time incumbent trailed off on Monday night, Liberal candidate Cyndi Mills was still thrilled as pollsters made the call for a fourth straight Liberal government.
Although Mills finished a competitive but never-quite-close second to Conservative Cheryl Gallant, the mood at the Liberal watch party was still sunny as Mills helped lead the local Grits to a 38% share of the local vote, their best result since Jeff Lehoux in 2015.
Her campaign manager was also glowing over their campaign, which ran under a banner of positivity as political tensions rise among parties.
While she won’t be making policy decisions for the riding, she is hopeful the elected government will keep a close eye on Algonquin-Renfrew-Pembroke’s fight against the ongoing homelessness epidemic through Renfrew County’s MESA initiative.
It was Mills’ second appearance on the local federal ballot, following a third-place finish in 2021, where she collected 19.4% of the vote.
(written by Kasey Egan)