Rafferty finally wins RR-T. Bay riding

By Ken Johnston
Editor

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!
Words that New Democratic Party Candidate for the Thunder Bay-Rainy River Riding has lived by for the past several years.
Rafferty has unsuccessfully run several times at the federal and provincial level. Last night that persistence paid off as he handily defeated Liberal incumbent Ken Boshcoff in the 40th Canadian general election.
With all 212 polls in the riding reporting in, Rafferty finished first with 14,473 (40.3%) of the votes cast. Boshcoff was a distant second with 11,589 (32.3%). Tory Richard Neumann was third with 8,466 (23.6%) and Green Russ Aegard finished last with 1,377 (3.8%).
Voter turnout was 57.3% in the riding, slightly below the national average of 59.1%.
Overall the NDP won 37 seats too finish fourth. The Tories returned to power with a second straight minority government (143 seats). The Libs. were second with 76, Bloc Quebecois, 50 and other with 2.
In Kenora Tory Greg Rickford won and in Thunder Bay-Superior North NDP Bruce Hyer won.