Since 1971, voters in the Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre riding have elected a Progressive Conservative, but that legacy ended on Monday with the election of a Wildrose MLA.
Former fibre optics engineer Joe Anglin defeated veteran PC Ty Lund, who has served the provincial riding for six terms.
Anglin had 6,418 votes over Lund’s 5,014 with 62 out of the 78 polls reported.
“I plan to hold this government accountable, there is no question, that is my goal,” Anglin said from the Super 8 Motel in Rocky Mountain House.
“I’m looking forward to representing this constituency but I have a lot of people to thank for this. This is not my doing, this was a real effort by a great number of people,” he said, adding that he has the upmost respect for Lund.
“He is a gentleman and when he was a cabinet minister he treated me with dignity.”
For 12 years, Lund served as a minister in Forestry and Parks, Infrastructure and Transportation, Agriculture and Rural Development and Government Services. Before entering provincial politics, Lund served in municipal politics in the area for 10 years.
New Democratic Party candidate Doreen Broska said she was surprised at the results.
“I was hoping for Ty,” she said, adding that she was pleased the NDP did well in Edmonton.
Liberal party candidate Mason Sisson blamed strategic voting for the overall Progressive Conservative success.
“Based on the polls before the election, the PCs should not have had this high of a lead and it has come at a direct cost to the Liberal party,” he said.
Calls made to Lund’s campaign office were not returned before press time.
jjones@www.reddeeradvocate.com