Broten won by 44 votes (out of 8284 cast) over second place Ryan Meili. From the StarPhoenix‘s Joe Couture:
The three candidates delivered speeches and presentations Saturday morning before the first round of voting began in the afternoon. Broten’s presentation made numerous references to the NDP’s historical successes in the province. “It’s about carrying on the decades of toil and commitment of those who went before us,” he told the crowd of about 800 members. The destiny, the future of each of us in this province is interconnected. We have a legacy to live up to and we have a promise to keep,” Broten said.
Meili’s presentation included videos of multiple endorsements. In his speech he said he thinks politics in the province needs to move “away from narrow economic goals. “Isn’t the whole purpose of government to improve our lives?” he asked. “There will always be those who raise alarms, who say what is difficult is impossible, who say that it’s dangerous to change. But when you’re on the wrong path, the most dangerous thing you can possibly do is stay on the wrong path,” he added.
Full story here. A lot of people are going to say the NDP went for an established, lower-risk candidate over a higher-risk, more visionary one. Maybe. But I think when you’ve got a nothing difference like 44 votes, you’ve got to look at factors like one candidate not having a seat while another did. Meili is not in the legislature every day. That makes him a bit of an unknown.
