Prime minister's help and record of service propel Gordon Hogg to Ottawa

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's two appearances on behalf of Liberal candidate Gordon Hogg were a huge factor in Hogg winning the byelection on Monday. Another factor was Hogg's longtime commitment to people in the area through service as a White Rock mayor and councillor and MLA for 20 years.
Photo by Jay Sharma, Mahi Photo Studio

As I had predicted on Friday on CBC Radio's The Early Edition, Liberal candidate Gordon Hogg won the byelection in South Surrey-White Rock on Monday.
He won for two main reasons - his engaging personality and solid track record as a community leader for the past 50-plus years, and two campaign appearances by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
For the first time since 1953, Surrey (and White Rock) representation in Ottawa is 100 per cent Liberal. This is amazing, particularly to those of us who covered Liberal campaigns in the 1980s and 1990s, when the party's candidates regularly placed a distant third in federal elections.
Kerry-Lynne Findlay of the Conservatives kept the byelection competitive, losing by about 1,600 votes to Hogg. Turnout was about 38 per cent, much lower than in a general election, but quite a bit higher than the turnout was in three other federal byelections on the same day.

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