Liberal Amarjeet Sohi projected to lose Edmonton Southeast riding

Amarjeet Sohi will return to Edmonton city hall to finish his time as mayor after his bid to jump back into federal politics failed on Monday.

Nearly a decade after his successful run for the Liberals, and time as a cabinet minister under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, by 10 p.m. on election night, Sohi was projected to lose the newly redrawn riding of Edmonton Southeast.

With about 20 polls left to report, Sohi is trailing with 38 per cent of the vote to more than 50 per cent for Conservative Jagsharan Singh Mahal.

It's a blow to the Liberal Party, which hoped to pick up several seats in Alberta, including Sohi's, as they're projected to win a fourth consecutive government.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney made one of his final appearances of the federal election campaign in Edmonton, stopping for a rally outside Sohi's headquarters on Sunday.

"Yes, this is not the result that we expected, but this is the result that we accept," Sohi told supporters Monday night.

"The result is not a reflection of this campaign, and I take full responsibility for this, because we can always, always do better."

After months of speculation about whether he'd seek re-election as mayor, when Sohi launched his federal candidacy in March, he said it meant he wouldn't be back for this fall's municipal race. But he would return to mayoral duties for the rest of his term in the event of a loss.

The next city council meeting is on Wednesday, and in Sohi's concession speech, he said he'd be back at city hall "very soon." He ruled out any attempt to return to council in the upcoming election — either in the mayor's chair or as a councillor.

Asked if that means he's retiring from politics, he said, "I'm not retiring from giving back to the community."

Sohi started an unpaid leave of absence from city council in March when he announced his federal run. Councillors have been rotating through deputy mayor duties ever since.

Edmonton's municipal election is set for Oct. 20.

Ward O-day'min Coun. Anne Stevenson, the current deputy mayor, said Monday that she'll be disappointed to see Sohi exit municipal office later this year.

"I think Amarjeet's style of leadership, the kindness, the humility he brings to the role is something that this country and this world needs more of right now."

Unsuccessful attempt at second round in federal politics

Sohi successfully jumped from council chambers to the House of Commons in 2015, in the midst of his third term as an Edmonton city councillor.

At the time, he narrowly defeated Conservative Tim Uppal by fewer than 100 votes in the former riding of Edmonton Mill Woods, going on to serve as minister of natural resources and minister of infrastructure.

Monday's loss is Sohi's second federal defeat — in 2019, Uppal came back to beat him, and Sohi returned to the municipal realm, winning Edmonton's mayoral race in 2021.

This federal election, an electoral distribution split parts of the old Mill Woods riding, putting Sohi up against Mahal, instead of his former rival, Uppal, who is projected to win for the Conservatives in the new Edmonton Gateway riding.

Election result puts Sohi back in the mayor's chair

Sohi's time as mayor has sometimes been rocky, with high-profile debates over crime and safety on public transit and in core neighbourhoods, as well as contentious discussions around the city's police budget.

He's also led council through recent conflicts with the provincial government over provincial funding for infrastructure, social support programs and housing.

And he was at Edmonton city hall the day an armed gunman shot bullets and threw Molotov cocktails inside the building on a January morning in 2024. It was an unprecedented event that prompted new discussions about safety for city workers and elected officials, and led to a security overhaul in the public building.

Stevenson said the past council term hasn't been easy to navigate, but with Sohi's final days as mayor still ahead, she sees him having a positive impact, from steering he city through the end of the pandemic to handling economic challenges.

"Not having him in the mayoral role or in a federal position is definitely a loss, but I also know he's the kind of person that will find a way to contribute in whatever role that might be in the future."