CHATHAM – After the New Democrats and Liberals duked it out over social media posts and claims of election fraud, Progressive Conservative Trevor Jones sailed to an easy victory in Chatham-Kent–Leamington while staying out of the fray.
CHATHAM – After the New Democrats and Liberals duked it out over social media posts and claims of election fraud, Progressive Conservative Trevor Jones sailed to an easy victory in Chatham-Kent–Leamington while staying out of the fray.
In fact, the current Leamington town councilor and former police officer ran a quiet campaign, which included not showing up to area candidate debates as he sought to hold onto the riding after his Tory successor, Rick Nicholls, was ousted for refusing the COVID vaccine.
Jones jumped out to an early lead in Thursday’s election and never looked back, maintaining a 20-point lead in the polls with nearly 90 per cent of the votes counted.
“We had a very positive, a very disciplined campaign,” Jones said. “Our team didn’t worry about anything else except where we were working that day – what part of the riding we were in, who we were talking to.”
Jones addressed missing the all-candidates forums, saying: “I actually enjoy debates, but again we adopted a very disciplined approach” to the campaign.
“No one told me not to go to a debate or to go to a debate. We sat down with our team and said, ‘Where is our best opportunity for success?’” he added.
The riding captured provincial attention when the NDP uncovered social media posts containing anti-gay slurs the then-Liberal candidate wrote as a teen. The controversy continued as the NDP alleged the Liberals recycled signatures from its original candidate’s nomination papers for last-minute candidate Audrey Festeryga, who later withdrew from the race a week before the election.
But the lack of a Liberal candidate running didn’t translate into huge support for local NDP candidate Brock McGregor, who finished a distant second.
McGregor expressed disappointment in the result but credited volunteers for their efforts.
“We did our best to get out and listen to people,” McGregor said while at Turns & Tales in Chatham. “Those messages around affordability, accountability, integrity were well received by a lot of voters.
“We know this is an extremely difficult riding. We’re proud of the team we put together.”
Nicholls was ousted by the PC Party last August for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine but ran for re-election under the Ontario Party banner. Nicholls finished a distant third after having won the riding three times since first elected as a Progressive Conservative in 2011.
files by Trevor Terfloth and Tom Morrison
RESULTS (80/92 polls reporting):
Trevor Jones (PC): 16,867 (47.9%)
Brock McGregor (NDP): 10,570 (30.0)
Rick Nicholls (ONP): 5,228 (14.8)
Rhonda Jubenville (NBO): 1,366 (3.8)
Jennifer Surerus (GPO): 1,185 (3.3)