Recount confirms PC David Bowlby wins Annapolis riding
Bowlby unseats Liberal incumbent Carman Kerr by eight votes
Progressive Conservative David Bowlby was confirmed Tuesday as the winning candidate in the Nova Scotia riding of Annapolis after a nearly five-hour judicial recount.
Bowlby unseated Liberal incumbent Carman Kerr, who was elected in 2021.
The recount was ordered after the initial results of the Nov. 26 provincial election showed Bowlby won by just seven votes. A recount is automatic when the difference between the first and second candidate is fewer than 10 votes.
The recount, which took place at the Annapolis Royal fire hall, showed Bowlby won by an eight-vote margin.
The results of the recount are as follows:
- David Bowlby, Progressive Conservative: 3,289.
- Carmen Kerr, Liberal: 3,281.
- Cheryl Burbridge, NDP: 689.
- Sara Adams, Green Party: 139.
Speaking after the vote tally on Tuesday, Kerr said he accepted the results of the recount.
"No one ever wants to lose, especially in public, but it's part of life and I've had two weeks since the election to mull it over," Kerr told CBC News. "I'm fine with the result."
MLAs sworn in
Bowlby was sworn in as the MLA for Annapolis at Province House on Tuesday along with other members of the 65th General Assembly. He said being sworn in after the two-week wait felt like a "breath of fresh air" as he thanked supporters and congratulated his opponents on their efforts during the election campaign.
"It was a heck of a campaign," Bowlby said after the swearing-in ceremony.
This was the second recount of the week that confirmed the winner of a PC candidate over a Liberal incumbent, with the first being Liberal Zach Churchill's loss to PC Nick Hilton in the riding of Yarmouth.
The recount results showed Hilton unseated Churchill by a 16-vote margin.
Kerr said he will continue to support the Nova Scotia Liberal Party in its rebuilding process after Churchill announced he was stepping down as leader Tuesday.
"Certainly a lot of work ahead of us," said Kerr. "We're down to two members, but it means listening to Nova Scotians."
With files from Taryn Grant and Michael Gorman
