Canada election 2015: Big name B.C. politicians challenged
Race to replace high profile incumbents tighter than expected in formerly dependable ridings
James Moore, Libby Davies, Jinny Sims: their names have made them some of British Columbia's best-known federal politicians. But the fates of their seats was a mixed bag on Monday night.
As Industry minister, Moore announced that he wouldn't be running again in Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam, but that didn't stop him from campaigning on behalf of Stephen Harper's Conservatives.
As it turned out, the seat Moore won in five consecutive elections went to Liberal Ron McKinnon, a well-known political blogger who took his first stab at federal office in an unsuccessful run in 2008.
B.C. Liberal MLA Doug Horne ran to replace Moore on the Conservative ticket.
Ironically, his NDP opponent, broadcaster Sara Norman won an RTNDA award in 2014 for a story on Moore's comments about child poverty.
Liberal candidate Ron McKinnon made an unsuccessful bid for the seat in 2008.
NDP wins and losses
Libby Davies left her Vancouver East seat in much safer condition for her successor, former NDP MLA Jenny Kwan. Davies, who had held the seat since 1997, rose to be Thomas Mulcair's deputy leader.
Kwan easily beat her main opponent, Liberal Edward Wong, former director of Junior Achievement of B.C. The Conservative candidate, James Low, was virtually invisible.
In Surrey-Newton, Sims was expected to mount more of a challenge to hold onto the seat that she won for the NDP by less than 1000 votes in 2011.
But she lost by more than 2,000 votes to former Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who retook the seat he held from 2006 to 2011 for the Liberals.
The Conservatives had hoped that Harpreet Singh's renown as a Red FM radio broadcaster and journalist would extend to victory at the polls.
May and Fry win big
In other high profile B.C. ridings, Elizabeth May and Hedy Fry both managed to avoid any surprises with impressive wins.
May made history in 2011 by becoming Canada's first Green party MP.
But that doesn't mean she didn't face a challenge to retain her seat. Prior to her election, the seat had been held since 1997 by Conservative Gary Lunn. In fact, the riding has only voted non-conservative three times in the past 60 years.
May beat her closest competitor, Conservative Robert Boyd, by more than 11,000 votes.
Finally, it would have been seen as little short of a miracle if Fry had not won her eighth straight election. She has held the riding of Vancouver Centre for the Liberals since 1993.
But she faced serious opposition from both NDP candidate and former Vision Vancouver park board commissioner Constance Barnes, As well as Elaine Allen, a well known figure in the non-profit sector, who ran for the Conservatives.
Fry won by more than 5,000 votes