In the Conservative leadership race, Erin O’Toole was decidedly a second choice of voters in Battlefords-Lloydminster.
It was Leslyn Lewis who got the most votes from Battlefords-Lloydminster Conservatives, but after her second ballot elimination, most of her second-choice votes in the ranked ballot swung over to O’Toole, helping him win the national leadership vote held this weekend.
According to numbers released by the party on their website, Lewis got 306 first ballot votes in the riding, compared to 163 for O’Toole, 121 for Derek Sloan and only 67 for Peter MacKay. That translated to an electoral vote of 46.57 for Lewis, 24.80 for O’Toole, 18.41 for Sloan and 10.19 for MacKay.
The second ballot saw Lewis receive 396 votes for 61.39 electoral votes, O’Toole received 181 for 28.06 electoral votes, and MacKay 68 for 10.54 electoral votes.
With Lewis eliminated in the national vote, the final ballot from Battlefords-Lloydminster saw O’Toole receive 384 votes for 76.34 electoral votes, compared to 119 for MacKay for 23.65 electoral votes.
The support for Lewis locally was not a surprise. Lewis had campaigned in the area and had received the endorsement of the riding’s MP Rosemarie Falk.
After O’Toole won, Falk quickly voiced her support for the new leader on Facebook.
“Congratulations Erin O’Toole! Looking forward to working together for a stronger Canada,” Falk stated.
