Liberal candidate Kent MacDonald wins P.E.I.'s Cardigan riding by large margin

Rookie candidate Kent MacDonald will be the next MP in the eastern P.E.I. riding of Cardigan, the only riding on the Island that didn't have an incumbent in the running for Monday's federal election.

With all of the riding's 97 polls reporting as of Tuesday afternoon, the Liberal candidate held a lead of 4,691 votes over Conservative candidate James Aylward.

Pending adjustment by Elections Canada, the total was 13,735 for MacDonald, 9,044 for Aylward, 482 for the NDP's Lynne Thiele, 383 for Independent candidate Wayne Phelan, 308 for Green candidate Maria Rodriguez and 169 for Adam Harding of the People's Party of Canada.

MacDonald's supporters erupted in cheers and rushed to hug him about 9:30 p.m. AT Monday as they watched the news that CBC News was projecting he would win the riding, the first such projection on the Island.

Speaking to CBC News later, the successful candidate said he was overwhelmed.

"I just want to thank the people of Cardigan for putting their trust in me tonight."

MacDonald is a dairy farmer from the Souris area. He said he felt well positioned to stand up for Canada as the issue of supply management — which relies on the control of imports and enables the dairy, poultry and egg sectors to limit the supply of their products to what Canadians are expected to consume — once again comes under fire by U.S. President Donald Trump.

When I travelled around the district and spoke to dairy farmers, they definitely wanted one of their own representing them.— Kent MacDonald

"I feel really motivated on that issue because it's my industry and I take it personal," he said.

"I know when I travelled around the district and spoke to dairy farmers, they definitely wanted one of their own representing them."

Asked about Mark Carney's decision to exclude a P.E.I. MP from his hastily formed cabinet just before the election was called, MacDonald said he expected that would not always be the case, but said he didn't have his sights set on such a role just yet.

"I'm just wanting to represent the people of Cardigan tonight."

P.E.I.'s easternmost riding, Cardigan is a predominantly rural area and there's a lot of it. It's the largest in area of the four ridings, and has the most eligible voters, according to Elections Canada. 

It was the only riding on the Island that didn't have an incumbent running after Liberal Lawrence MacAulay, the longest-serving MP in the Island's history, confirmed in March that he wouldn't run again.