It was a neck-and-neck race in Burnaby-Lougheed, with results pouring in throughout the evening, and the gap between the Liberals and NDP often fewer than 100 votes.
Liberal candidate Ken Kramer watched the results coming in at his campaign office, with supporters feasting on pizza and chicken wings, but the office of NDP candidate Jane Shin was closed. Shin's campaign manager told the NOW she was spending the evening at the Burnaby-Edmonds office of Raj Chouhan.
Kramer started off with a slight lead on Shin, but as more results came in, the NDP candidate pulled ahead, first by fewer than 100 votes, then by a spread of roughly 400. But then Kramer was closing in. At press time, the gap between the two was just 36 votes with Shin in the lead.
"I think it's pretty obvious, it's a tight riding," Kramer said. "We kind of had that sense that it was going to be really close. I'm not surprised. ... We're just going to hope for the best. We ran a really good campaign."
Kramer hadn't given up hope of winning.
"Anything's possible," said the first-time candidate. "I already feel like a winner, I had a great experience, but it's not over yet."
At press time, when 108 of 129 ballot boxes were in, Shin, with 5,540 votes, had a slight lead on Kramer, who had 5,504 votes.
Shin was not available for comment. Green candidate Darwin Burns had 1,107 votes, and Christine Clarke had 933 votes. Clarke is a B.C. Conservative but she was listed with no affiliation on the ballot.
The Burnaby-Lougheed riding used to be held by Liberal Harry Bloy, who did not run again after a series of gaffes.
