'Exuberant' PC Brian Riddell elected in Cambridge

Progressive Conservative Brian Riddell has won the seat for Cambridge in Thursday's provincial election. 

As the results started to come in showing Riddell had an early — and sizeable — lead, he walked into a celebration at Amici's Restaurant in Preston to a crowd of cheering supporters.

He said he felt "exuberant."

"I appreciate every vote I got," he told CBC News. "Right now I'm kind of up in the air over it."

He said his top priorities will be focusing on moving forward under the leadership of PC Leader Doug Ford.

"I'm for ... Trades and building back the province, moving out of COVID and moving into the future and getting more high-paying jobs into this area," he said.

Riddell said he's someone who wants to collaborate and work with people.

"I'm not just here for the people that voted for me. I'm here for everybody. And that's my goal," he said.

With all polls reporting, Riddell took 37 per cent of the votes cast. 

NDP candidate Marjorie Knight was in second place with 22 per cent of the vote and Liberal Surekha Shenoy was third with 21 per cent.

Incumbent Belinda Karahalios finished fourth with 11 per cent of the ballots. Karahalios, who was elected in 2018 as a Progressive Conservative but was removed from the party in 2021, helped to create and ran for the New Blue Party.

She was followed by Green candidate Carla Johnson with nine per cent.

Polls stayed open 15 minutes longer in Cambridge due to technical difficulties at some polling stations.

The official final vote count from Elections Ontario will be confirmed in the coming days.

Elections Ontario reported 43 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the election, down from 55 per cent in 2018.

Riding history

In 2018, Karahalios was elected to the provincial legislature as a member of the Progressive Conservatives. She was removed from the PC caucus in July 2020 after she voted against against Bill 195, a government motion to extend some COVID-19 emergency orders a month at a time for up to two years without consulting the legislature.

Cambridge has been a riding since 1975. The first Member of the Provincial Parliament for the area was Montgomery 'Monty' Davidson, a member of the NDP, who served until 1981.

William 'Bill' Barlow, a Progressive Conservative, served the riding from 1981 to 1987. He was followed by Mike Farnan, a member of the New Democratic Party, who served as the riding's MPP from 1987 to 1995.

The riding went to the Progressive Conservatives from 1995 to 2014. Gerry Martiniuk was the MPP until 2011 and Rob Leone was the MPP until 2014. 

In 2014, Liberal Kathryn McGarry won the seat and held it for one term. McGarry is currently the mayor of Cambridge.

Read more of CBC K-W's coverage of Cambridge: