A reporter, a youth care worker and a real estate agent battle it out in Long Range Mountains

Five candidates are in the running along Newfoundland's west coast, a riding that stretches from the northern tip of the island to its southern shoreline.

The Liberal incumbent since 2015, Gudie Hutchings, is among a rash of former contestants in Newfoundland and Labrador who announced they wouldn't be running again for federal politics.

That means for the first time in a decade, the people of Long Range Mountains will be voting in a rookie member of parliament on April 28.

CBC News spoke with current contenders across the province about their political chops, passions and platforms.

These are the candidates for Long Range Mountains:

Don Bradshaw, Liberal Party

Fighting to replace Hutchings is a man better known as the local reporter who covers those jostling for a seat.

Don Bradshaw, a former television journalist with NTV, is now in the fray himself, a first-time candidate for the Liberal Party in the region where he was born and raised.

"I guess for the last few weeks, I've had a change in direction, so to speak, and now decided to give politics a try," he said.

Among his motivations, he said, is a desire to prevent Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre from coming into power.

"It's a bad direction for the country," Bradshaw said. 

"When I look at what's happening down south with the [U.S. President Donald] Trump administration, of the tariffs that are being imposed on our country, I thought, 'OK, I've spent decades telling stories about what's happening, and it's now time to get off the bench and actually get in the game.'"

Bradshaw has never worked in politics, but argues his years of covering it gives him an edge over his competitors.

"You don't have to start from the bare minimum and explain how this process works. I know how it works. I'll be able to get on the job, get moving as quickly as possible without that learning curve," he said.

"I've been in journalism for 36 years. I know the issues, I know the policies, I know the people who [compose] this riding and I've talked to them for generations."

Bradshaw says running for office has always been in the back of his head, but now was the right time and the right place.

But even though he hasn't had to introduce himself often while knocking on doors, he says he isn't taking his name recognition for granted.

"You can't assume that this is yours to lose and sit back and put your feet up, because the minute you do, the voters will tell you 'No, no, no, no. You need to earn this.'"

Sarah Parsons, New Democratic Party

Sarah Parsons, a 32-year-old child and youth care worker with two children of her own, says she first dipped her toe into politics over a year ago as the provincial NDP's western regional representative.

"I got involved in that because much like everyone else, you know, we're struggling. We are struggling to survive. We are struggling to make ends meet," she said.

She made the leap from provincial volunteer to federal candidate when the suffering around her became too much to bear.

"There was a calling inside of me that I needed to do more, that I needed to advocate more for people," she said.

"I work full-time with children that are … in the care of the government. And I can see first-hand how, you know, social workers are struggling, how youth are struggling. And then in the education system, I see how teachers and support staff are struggling."

Growing up in the fishery, she also knows the industry is vital to small communities across the riding.

"My father still works in the fishing industry, and I have as well. And so to me, it's a big part of the Long Range Mountains."

Parsons notes she's running a "grassroots campaign" and doesn't have the financial backing of Liberal or Conservative candidates, but says her year and a half of experience with the provincial NDP in the region has given her an eagle's eye view of the issues that matter to constituents.

"I think that also says a lot [about] how it's set up for working individuals, especially working moms, who want to get involved in politics, is there's no compensation. We can't just quit our job. So we have to do double the load in order to get our voice out there," Parsons said.

She found herself gravitating toward the NDP because she believes the party doesn't compromise morals for profits.

"They are the party that I feel works for everyone, not just the select few, regardless of where you live or what tax bracket you're in," she said.

Carol Anstey, Conservative Party 

Conservative Party candidate Carol Anstey has some notches in her belt. She's the only candidate in this riding to have experience campaigning, having run in 2021. Anstey lost that race by a relatively narrow margin — about 1,800 votes — to the incumbent Hutchings, and captured nearly 40 per cent of the vote.

Anstey has so far spoken sparingly to CBC News this time around, however.

In a topic-based segment on CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning, in which candidates were given a platform to speak on a variety of political issues — and provided topics in advance — Anstey touched on the Conservatives' plan for hiring more doctors, spoke about cutting taxes on "work, investment, home building and energy" and promised the party would double the current funding for a program that supports small harbours.

Anstey, a longtime real estate agent, also noted the Conservatives' promise to remove the federal sales tax on homes up to $1.3 million, which the party contends will create 36,000 new homes across the country.

Anstey also condemned U.S. tariffs. 

"We need to become strong, self-reliant and sovereign so we can stand on our own two feet and stand up to the Americans," she said.

"Seventy-five per cent of our exports go to one country. Almost all of our energy, most of our raw materials go south because we can't get them anywhere else. We need to take drastic action to build an economic fortress in Canada that is able to reach other markets around the world."

Anstey has repeatedly refused a follow-up interview.

Also running for Long Range Mountains are Pamela Geiger for the People's Party of Canada and Robbie Coles as an Independent.

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