NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes is interviewed at the Medicine Hat UCP headquarters at the Medicine Hat Lodge on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.
Drew Barnes has been re-elected in the riding of Cypress-Medicine Hat, the News is predicting, and for the first time into a majority governing party.
It is the third straight electoral win for the former realtor who was first elected in 2012 and he returns to the Alberta legislature this spring as one of the United Conservative Patry’s most experienced MLAs.
“We have the opportunity to to be the voice for rural Alberta and southeastern Alberta in Edmonton and all of Canada,” Barnes told a crowd of 250 supporters at the Medicine Hat Lodge ballroom.
The joint victory party with Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA-elect Michaela Glasgo erupted in cheers when the UCP was predicted to be the winner of Tuesday’s general election.
“What a moment for Alberta!” said Glasgo.
Barnes previously won the riding that now includes most of south Medicine Hat and southern Cypress County in 2012 and 2015 which about 55 per cent of the vote.
At 10 p.m. on Tuesday, he was holding 66 per cent of the vote share with 80 of 99 polls reporting.
Peter Mueller (NDP) trailed with 26 per cent support, followed by Collete Smithers (Alberta Party) with close to 5 per cent and other candidates Anwar Kamaran (Alberta Liberals) and Terry Blacquier (Alberta Advantage) well behind.
