Alberta Party candidates Barry Bailey and Neil Korotash still seemed relatively upbeat Tuesday night even during their concession speeches. Neither of their campaigns were enough to sway the majority of voters in their respective constituencies but that seemed to neither dampen their spirits nor sway their faith that running “clean campaigns” was a winning strategy.
An effusive Korotash, who stood for Morinville-St. Albert, brandished a sealed envelope à la Johnny Carson’s Carnac bit with his prognostication on the whole affair.
“My pre-election prediction ... was that the losing party will blame us in the Alberta Party for splitting the vote regardless of who won,” he joked. “We’ll see if that happens.”
St. Albert candidate Bailey, taking his turn to thank the crowd of dozens of supporters in the burrito-packed restaurant, expressed how honoured he was to have been asked to run.
“I was honoured to be asked. I thought this was a very important election and as it turns out ...” he said, holding back a thought. “I don't know what we're going to do for the next four years.”
Korotash, despite his two terms as St. Albert’s youngest city councillor, came in third with 3,340 votes, less than half of what second-place finisher Natalie Birnie earned for the NDP. UCP candidate Dale Nally won with his name checked on more than 11,000 ballots for the Morinville-St. Albert riding.
Bailey was still pleased with his first time out as a contender though he took nearly 11 per cent of the votes for the St. Albert riding. UCP newcomer candidate Jeff Wedman gave incumbent NDPer Marie Renaud a run for her money with a neck-and-neck battle to the finish. Renaud landed the ribbon nearly 1,600 votes ahead.
Vote counts are not yet final and some advance votes have yet to be counted.