Hardeman Re-elected as Oxford MPP with PC Majority Government

Ernie Hardeman will serve another term as the MPP for Oxford County in a PC majority government. The NDP will serve as the official opposition.

ONTARIO/OXFORD COUNTY - The Progressive Conservatives have formed a majority government and Leader Doug Ford will serve another term as Premier of Ontario.

The NDP will serve as the official opposition over the next four years, however Andrea Horwath has decided to resign as party leader. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner has also been re-elected in his Guelph riding and Liberal Steven Del Duca has been defeated in his riding of Vaughn-Woodbridge. Incumbent PC Michael Tibollo has been named the winner of that riding and Del Duca has officially stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party.

As of 11:50 p.m. the Progressive Conservatives had won 83 seats, the NDP secured 31 seats, the Liberals won eight seats and the Green Party secured one seat. Over 98 percent of the polls were reporting at the time and you can find up to date results online here.

Incumbent Conservative Ernie Hardeman has been named the winner here in Oxford County. Hardeman was first elected back in 1995 and he has now won eight provincial elections since then. This will be his 28th year at Queens Park.

Hardeman was not too surprised when he was declared the winner.

"I was kind of expecting a win, obviously after you have done it seven times and things have been fairly good in Oxford. I think a lot of people have been satisfied with what we were doing and I think the support for the Ford Government has been really great."

That being said, he would like to thank his campaign team and the volunteers who helped him through this election.

"I can't say enough about the good work they did. Some people say that after eight elections that you should be used to it, but you don't ever get used to it. The last one is always just as difficult as the first and just as nerve wracking as the first."

Hardeman would also like to thank all of the voters who cast their ballots in this election. He says he's ready to get back to work serving the people of Oxford County. 

"When the whip drops, you vacate the seat until the election is held. So there is a lot of things that people have been calling the office about because the office is still open and people are still coming in. So we will be back in the office to look after those issues."

NDP candidate Lindsay Wilson finished in second place here in Oxford County. She is very proud of the campaign she ran regardless of the results.

"I am really proud of the campaign that we ran. Not only for myself and for the NDP, but the community really got involved, really took notice, and asked questions. So for people to get more civically engaged is a win for our community no matter what."

Wilson would like to thank all of her supporters who stood beside her through the election. She would also like to thank her husband and her friend Kate Leatherbarrow, who inspired her to launch her campaign.

With the municipal election coming up this fall, Wilson is planning to support other candidates who decide to run for office. She would love to see a more diverse representation in Oxford County in the future.

Liberal candidate Mary Holmes finished in third place at the end of the night. She was very shocked when the results were in because she thought the Liberals would do better.

"Between healthcare, education, and affordability, I thought we had the perfect package and it makes me think people didn't examine it very well. I know that there is a lot of baggage that comes with the Liberal Party these days, but there is also a lot of confusion about what that is and why people are feeling negative about that party. So I was hoping that we could get past that."

Holmes would like to thank everyone who helped out with her campaign. She would also like to thank her husband Richard Holmes, her four children with their spouses and her grandchildren for supporting her.

Holmes took a leave of absence from her position as an Oxford County trustee for the London District Catholic School Board during this election, but she will be returning to her seat and she is planning to run for re-election this fall.

Ontario Party candidate Karl Toews was not too far behind Holmes, finishing in fourth place with about 8 percent of the vote. He says he learned a lot during this campaign.

"For our first time out, personally I have been a politician for 11 weeks now, obviously we learned a lot as we went. We really feel that we have laid the ground work to come back stronger and better next time."

Toews continued his work as a lawyer throughout his campaign, so he will be back in criminal court Friday morning. He is looking forward to some vacation time this summer and mowing his lawn. 

Toews would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped out with his campaign and the debate hosts who invited every candidate to their events. He would also like to give a special shoutout to his wife Roxolana Toews, who worked alongside him throughout the campaign.

We have the election results for Oxford County posted below, including results from all of the polls.

1st place - Incumbent Ernie Hardeman (Progressive Conservative) - 22,166 votes

2nd place - Lindsay Wilson (NDP) - 9,504 votes

3rd place - Mary Holmes (Liberal) - 5,459 votes

4th place - Karl Toews (Ontario Party) - 3,579 votes

5th place - Cheryle Rose Baker (Green Party) - 2,097 votes

6th place - Connie Oldenburger (New Blue Party) - 1,517 votes

Elections Ontario says the voter turnout in Oxford County was 46.50 percent.