Conservative Glen Motz thanks Trudeau after winning Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner byelection

Conservative candidate Glen Motz expressedgratitude to the Liberal prime minister after winning a federal byelection by a big marginin southern Alberta.

"I want to thank Justin Trudeau," Motz said in hisvictory speech Monday nightinMedicineHat-Cardston-Warner, a riding that Justin Trudeauhad recently visited tosupport Liberal candidate Stan Sakamoto.

"The activity in our campaign absolutely spiked the day he arrived," Motz said of Trudeau.

Motztook69.9 per cent (23,932 votes)whileSakamoto received 25.6per cent (8,778 votes).

And despite or perhaps because of a provincial NDP government, the federal NDP candidate,Beverly Ann Waege, received 353 votes (1.0 per cent) roughly half ofthe votes cast forRod Taylor of theChristian Heritage Party, who got 702 votes (2.0 per cent).

KayneCooper of the Rhinos got 0.6 per cent (211 votes) andSheldon Johnston of the Libertarians.took 0.8 per cent (284 votes).

• See the full byelection results

The voter turnout was44.54 per cent.

Thebyelectionwas to fill the seat left vacant after JimHillyer,a Conservative, died in March at 41.

The riding, formerly known as Medicine Hat, was renamed following electoral redistribution in 2012.

Sakamoto, a local businessman, saidTrudeau'svisit shows that he cares for southern Alberta, noting Stephen Harper never made the trip.

He said, however, that the carbon tax was a"fear factor in people's minds."

The Liberals knew they were facing a tough battle in a province thatwent Conservative blue in all but five ridings in last fall's federal election.

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Right-wing riding since 1972

The last MP elected in Medicine Hat who wasn't from a right-of-centre party was Bud Olson. He was originally voted in as a member of Social Credit, crossed to the Liberals and was re-elected when the party swept to power under Pierre Trudeau in 1968.

Olson lost in 1972, and the riding has been on the right of the political spectrum ever since, with MPs from the Progressive Conservatives, Reform, Canadian Alliance or Conservative parties.