Cam Broten's victory in the Saskatchewan NDP leadership contest was closer than anyone imagined.
Most expected a tight result, but few anticipated Broten's margin of victory would be by only 44 votes out of over 8,000 votes cast.
Moreover, Broten had to come from several hundred votes behind to defeat Saskatoon doctor Ryan Meili by a count of 4,164 votes to 4,120 on the second and final ballot Saturday afternoon to become NDP leader, taking over from interim leader John Nilson.
"I take on this role of leader with great enthusiasm but also a deep sense of responsibility," Broten said to delegates Saturday in his victory speech.
"I pledge to you today that I will do everything I can to sustain and nurture our party's tremendous heritage, connect to generations within our party, to respect the good work that has been done and to revitalize our party so we can earn back the trust of Saskatchewan people and get on with the important work of achieving our vision of a better province for everyone."
Balloting was conducted through online, mail-in and advance voting across the province by NDP party members, as well as by NDP convention delegates within TCU Place, who cast ballots in two rounds of voting.
Approximately 71 per cent of votes were cast in advance of Saturday's final day of balloting, with those party members marking their preferential ballots 1-2-3 in favor of the various candidates.
First ballot results confirmed what many had predicted throughout the entire campaign: that it was a close race with considerable support for all three leadership candidates still in the running.
Broten, the MLA for Saskatoon Massey Place, trailed during the first ballot with 2,942 compared to 3,384 for Meili.
Third-place finisher Trent Wotherspoon received 2,120, too far back to remain in contention. He withdrew immediately after the first ballot, setting up the second-ballot Broten-Meili showdown.
A total of 8,719 votes were cast on the first ballot. No vote count was announced for Erin Weir, who had withdrawn from the leadership race before the convention but whose name had still appeared on some advance-voting ballots just prior to his departure from the race.
Weir and Wotherspoon addressed delegates immediately following the first ballot results to thank their supporters and campaign teams. Wotherspoon received an emotional ovation when he took to the podium.
Wotherspoon declined to make public any preference for either Broten or Meili going into the second ballot. Instead, he pledged his full support to the winner.
"You need to know, who we choose as the next leader here today," said Wotherspoon, "is that you have my full commitment starting today to stand behind you."
Wotherspoon and Broten were seen as moderates in the leadership contest, and most observers expected Broten to pick up the bulk of Wotherspoon's supporters in the second ballot.
Still, it was a question mark whether it would be enough to overtake Meili's lead, making for an unpredictable and dramatic final ballot announcement.
When second ballot results were announced to the approximately 775 delegates in the hall shortly after 4 p.m., the Broten supporters let out a loud cheer when they realized their candidate had won.
Meili quickly went to the podium and called for the convention to unanimously support Broten as the new leader.
It was an even more agonizing finish for Meili compared to 2009, when he also ran second in the leadership vote.
"Who would expect that I would actually get closer to winning this time," said Meili, who congratulated Broten on his campaign.
While gracious in his remarks to reporters, Meili would not commit himself when the question was posed whether he would run for the party in the 2015 provincial election.
"Let's talk about that in another day or two," said Meili.
In speaking to the media, Broten expressed his hope Meili would remain involved in the NDP's efforts in the future. "I would love for Ryan to run in the next election," he said.
The new leader pledged to move forward with efforts to unify the party, including reaching out to those who had worked on other campaigns in the leadership race. He urged supporters of the other candidates to stay involved.
"We need everyone involved to build the NDP and earn the trust of Saskatchewan people, so obviously I want everyone involved."
Broten made at least one such effort towards unity Sunday afternoon, as he announced that Wotherspoon, MLA for Regina Rosemont, had agreed to serve as deputy leader in the legislature.
