Liberal Valerie Bradford elected in Kitchener South-Hespeler

Liberal candidate Valerie Bradford took an early lead in Kitchener South-Hespeler Monday night and held on to win the riding overConservative Tyler Calver, preliminary numbers show.

With 195 of 196 polls reporting, Bradford had about 37per cent of the vote whileCalver had about 36per cent. There was a margin of668 votes between them.

In third was NDP candidate Suresh Arangath with about 16 per cent.

Melissa Baumgaertner, the People's Party of Canada candidate, was in fourth with 6.9per cent of the vote, followed by Green candidate Gabe Rose with 3.5 per cent, independent candidate C.A. Morrison with 0.2 per cent, Rhinocros Party candidate Stephen Davis with 0.2 per cent andElaine Baetz of theMarxist-Leninist Party with 0.1 per cent.

The official results from Elections Canada are expected in the coming days.

There was no incumbent in this riding as the former MP, Marwan Tabbara, did not seek re-election. Tabbara was a Liberal when he won the riding in 2019, but sat as an independent for the last year.

There were eight people running to fill the empty seat in Kitchener South-Hespeler.

Watch the panel of 2021 Kitchener South-Hespeler candidates:

PANEL: Kitchener South-Hespeler federal election candidates

3 years ago

Duration 22:35

Two of the federal election candidates in Kitchener South-Hespeler discuss the opioid crisis, climate change and post-pandemic economic recovery.

History of riding

The first and only MP forKitchener South-Hespeler has beenMarwan Tabbara.

Tabbara was elected as a Liberal in 2015 when the riding was created and again in 2019,but became an independent in 2020 after he left the Liberal party following being charged with assault, break-and-enter and criminal harassment.

Tabbara did not seek re-election this year.

The boundaries include the part of Cambridge that is north of Highway 401 and a section of Kitchener east of Fischer-Hallman Road and south of the Conestoga Parkway, Fairway Road and Kossuth Road. The riding stretches east to Townline Road.

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