Victorious
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As Kelly Regan waited for the polls to close and the votes to be counted early Tuesday evening, the Liberal candidate for Bedford-Birch Cove sat down to write two speeches.
“I wrote the concession speech first,” she said during her victory speech at Brewsters Restaurant in Bedford. “And then I started writing the acceptance speech, and that’s when I got really scared because I realized how much I wanted it.”
(To listen to Kelly Regan’s speech in its entirety, click here)
Regan won the riding handily capturing 4,861 votes, beating NDP candidate Brian Mosher, who finished second with 3,552 votes. Incumbent PC MLA Len Goucher finished third with 2,268 votes and Green Party candidate Neil Green garnered 248.
“To Len Goucher, I want to say thank you for all of your hard work on behalf of Bedford-Birch Cove, and on behalf of Bedford when you were a town councillor,” said Regan.
Regan becomes one of 11 Liberal MLAs elected in a province that handed NDP leader Darrell Dexter a solid 31-seat majority. Premier Rodney MacDonald’s Conservatives, who had a 23-seat minority heading into the election, finished behind the Liberals with just 10 seats.
“Tonight, the people of Bedford-Birch Cove have voted for change, and the province has voted for change,” said Regan. “I wish Premier-elect Darrell Dexter wisdom and luck in the months ahead.”
During her acceptance speech, Regan was surrounded by her children and her husband Jeff Regan, who is the Liberal MP for Halifax West, a federal riding which encompasses Bedford.
“Any time I doubted my ability to do this, the girls or Jeff would be there to give me a pep talk,” said Regan. “Actually, Jeff wouldn’t really give me a pep talk, what he would do is he’d say something like ‘Suck it up, princess!’ He was tough, but fair.”
In the neighouring riding of Hammonds Plains-Upper Sackville, PC MLA Barry Barnet was trounced by NDP candidate Mat Whynott, who captured 4,815 votes.
Barnet, who garnered 2,218 votes, actually finished third behind Liberal Patrick Doyle, who grabbed 2,381 votes. Green Party candidate Shawn Redmond finished fourth with 210.
Victory walk: Kelly Regan and her family arrive at the victory party in Bedford.
