Fight Former Hub City mayor holds onto seat in tight battle with Conservative

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Adam Huras
Telegraph-Journal

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MONCTON - A back-and-forth battle waged late into the night turned into a repeat victory for Brian Murphy as the riding of Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe returned the Liberal incumbent to Ottawa by slim margin.

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Adam Huras/Telegraph-Journal

Liberal Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe incumbent Brian Murphy cheers as results come into his campaign headquarters at the Moncton Press Club Tuesday night. Murphy captured the riding in a tight race with Conservative Daniel Allain.

In New Brunswick's tightest election battle, a room full of Liberals went from jubilation and joy to disappointment within seconds, only to bounce back by night's end with the riding win.

The latest numbers counted had Murphy capturing the riding with 17,224 votes, while Tory Daniel Allain tallied 16,084, the NDP candidate Carl Bainbridge captured 7,470 votes and Green Party candidate Alison Ménard garnered 3,952.

"The Conservative Party of Canada and Stephen Harper came into this riding with tanks of money and tanks for signs and did not get this riding," said Murphy. "This is a Liberal riding and it will stay a Liberal riding."

"It was close, but we held strong."

Set up like cross-town rivals on election night, Murphy opted to hold his party at the Moncton Press Club where patrons sat subdued in heart-stopping suspense only to kick with cheers when close tallies revealed a slight Murphy lead.

Across town on the northern edges of the city standing in the swirl of lights of Moncton's Rockin' Rodeo, Allain's supporters screamed in excitement with the early success only to be subdued by late results.

At 9 p.m., an hour after the polls closed, the margin was just two votes, swaying back and forth with each new voting post counted until Murphy took the lead and held on.

"I gave Greater Moncton choice and it was a long, hard-fought battle," said Allain, seconds after conceding to Murphy. "We ran a great campaign and I am very proud of the success we were able to achieve."

Murphy won the riding by more than 8,400 votes in 2006, receiving 47 per cent of the electorate's support.

Prior to Murphy, Liberal Claudette Bradshaw held Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe from 1997 to 2006. In fact, the Conservatives have only held the riding in four of the last 36 years.

Yet despite being a traditional Liberal stronghold, the Conservative targeted Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe from the outset. Former New Brunswick premier Bernard Lord was on hand to introduce Allain in September as Tory candidate. The Conservatives also trotted out Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.

On the campaign's second to last Saturday Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a campaign stop in Moncton to bolster the chances of Allain, the executive director of Downtown Moncton, who took a six-week leave of absence to wage his first federal campaign.

Murphy, a lawyer and former Moncton mayor, countered by bringing in Toronto Centre MP Bob Rae. Dion also made a campaign stop in Moncton on the same day as Harper.

In the days leading up to Tuesday's vote, Murphy admitted the slow start to his campaign mirrored that of his leader's. But both, he suggested, picked up momentum as the 36-day audition for voter approval progressed.

"I think as the campaign went on there was a gradual acceptance of the integrity of Mr. Dion," Murphy said. "I think Mr. Dion, we, had a slow start out of the gate."