With one exception, ridings in the Kawarthas turned Conservative blue in the federal election on Monday night (October 21), in which a Liberal minority government was elected.
In a tight race with Conservative challenger Michael Skinner, Liberal incumbent and cabinet minister Maryam Monsef was re-elected MP for Peterborough-Kawartha for a second term.
At one point as results from the polls were counted, Skinner pulled ahead, but in the end Monsef — with 240 of 283 polls reporting — won with 23,075 votes (39.8 per cent) compared to 20,198 (34.8 per cent) for Skinner.
With Monsef winning and a Liberal minority government elected to Ottawa, Peterborough-Kawartha maintains its status as the quintessential bellwether riding.
The Liberal incumbent for Northumberland-Peterborough South, Kim Rudd, did not fare so well. She was defeated by Conservative Philip Lawrence by more than 2,000 votes.
The same was true for the Liberal incumbent for Hastings-Lennox and Addington, Mike Bossio, who was defeated by Conservative Derek Sloan by fewer than 1,000 votes.
Jamie Schmale, the Conservative incumbent for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, was easily re-elected to a second term.
Here are the unofficial results for the four ridings as of 1 a.m. on October 22nd, with all or most polls reporting:
Peterborough-Kawartha
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Per cent |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ Maryam Monsef (incumbent) | Liberal Party of Canada | 23,075 | 39.8% |
| Michael Skinner | Conservative Party of Canada | 20,198 | 34.8% |
| Candace Shaw | New Democratic Party | 9,647 | 16.6% |
| Andrew MacGregor | Green Party of Canada | 4,007 | 6.9% |
| Alexander Murphy | People’s Party of Canada | 746 | 1.3% |
| Robert M Bowers | Independent | 159 | 0.3% |
| Ken Ranney | Stop Climate Change | 146 | 0.3% |
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Per cent |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ Jamie Schmale (incumbent) | Conservative Party of Canada | 28,906 | 49.0% |
| Judi Forbes | Liberal Party of Canada | 15,218 | 25.8% |
| Barbara Doyle | New Democratic Party | 8,804 | 14.9% |
| Elizabeth Fraser | Green Party of Canada | 4,954 | 8.4% |
| Gene Balfour | People’s Party of Canada | 1,146 | 1.9% |
Northumberland-Peterborough South
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Per cent |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ Philip Lawrence | Conservative Party of Canada | 25,808 | 39.8% |
| Kim Rudd (incumbent) | Liberal Party of Canada | 23,257 | 35.9% |
| Mallory MacDonald | New Democratic Party | 9,169 | 14.1% |
| Jeff Wheeldon | Green Party of Canada | 5,221 | 8.1% |
| Frank Vaughan | People’s Party of Canada | 1,390 | 2.1% |
Hastings-Lennox and Addington
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Per cent |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ Derek Sloan | Conservative Party of Canada | 19,059 | 39.9% |
| Mike Bossio (incumbent) | Liberal Party of Canada | 18,105 | 37.9% |
| David Tough | New Democratic Party | 6,585 | 13.8% |
| Sari Watson | Green Party of Canada | 2,867 | 6.0% |
| Adam L. E. Gray | People’s Party of Canada | 1,226 | 2.7% |
