Brittny Anderson never expected to coast to victory, even in a riding she was expected to win.
The B.C. NDP incumbent was re-elected as MLA of Kootenay Central with 8,406 votes after 30-of-31 ballot boxes were counted in Saturday's provincial election.
The riding previously known as Nelson-Creston has typically been an NDP stronghold, but Anderson didn't treat it that way. That may have been the difference on a night where other NDP politicians fell to B.C. Conservative challengers.
"My whole philosophy was I would not be outworked," Anderson said. "And my team worked incredibly hard."
Kelly Vandenberghe of the B.C. Conservatives finished second with 6,797 votes, followed by B.C. Green candidate Nicole Charlwood who had 3,989 votes. Independent candidate Corinne Mori finished last with 2,134 votes.
It will be Anderson's second term as MLA after she was first elected in 2020 while still serving as a Nelson city councillor.
Kootenay Central, which was changed for this election from Nelson-Creston to incorporate Nakusp, Silverton and New Denver, has been held by the NDP since 2005. The party has only previously lost the riding twice since 1972.
Vandenberghe, an area director with the Regional District of Central Kootenay, had a strong showing for the Conservatives in his first campaign. The former B.C. Liberals were third in the 2020 election with just 4,171 votes, a total Vandenberghe smashed despite only being named a candidate less than a week before the election began.
The provincial election was too close to call between the NDP and Conservatives even as Anderson's result was clear.
"I think a lot of people didn't believe that the Conservatives were going to come so close in our riding," Anderson said, "considering the Conservative candidate didn't attend a few of the debates."
Anderson said she and many NDP door-knockers across the province found that some voters thought it was a federal election.
"I really believe that a lot of voters thought that they were voting Justin Trudeau out, and that's why you saw a conservative surge. We've seen the rise of conservative populism from Donald Trump, and that has bled over and been adopted by the Conservative Party."
She said she is concerned that John Rustad, who could become the premier, is so unknown to voters.
The result will also be a letdown for Charlwood and the Greens, who finished second in the 2020 election and 1,685 votes behind Anderson. Green leader Sonia Furstenau, who also lost her seat Saturday, visited the riding to support Charlwood during the campaign as did federal Green leader Elizabeth May.
Asked is she was surprised that the Greens didn't do better locally, Anderson said voters "know that I am a strong environmentalist."
As for the uncertain provincial election result, Anderson said, "I'm hopeful for a majority government, but we will have to wait until the all of the ballots are counted."
