Kings South part of NDP surge

The first-time candidate will hold one of 31 NDP seats in new Premier-elect Darrell Dexter’s majority government.

Unofficial results have Jennex far ahead, with 4,038 votes to incumbent David Morse’s 2,764. Liberal Paula Kinley Howatt was a close third at 2,639. The Green Party’s Brendan MacNeill held fourth place with 360 votes.

Greeting euphoric workers at Joe’s Food Emporium in Wolfville on election night, Jennex congratulated her team for "working tirelessly with dedication, respect and passion. We have kept to the guiding principle that an NDP government will be good for today's families."

Jennex said that during the campaign, "I have seen things that have broken my heart while knocking on doors and instead of feeling hopeless, I have felt even more determined to work hard and help facilitate the changes that need to be made." “I have also seen joy and I have felt community. I have seen busy families, children's smiling faces, people working the earth, people standing for peace. I have heard the passion people have for our land, our health, our arts, our education, our future."

Morse gracious in defeat

There was no euphoria at David Morse’s election night gathering. Kings South results were slow coming, but it was clear early on that the Environment Minister would lose his seat, along with most of his Progressive Conservative colleagues.

Morse arrived at Boston Pizza in New Minas just before 9 p.m. to cheers, hugs and tears from supporters determined to celebrate his decade as MLA.

Morse said he was somewhat “surprised by the results tonight,” but “the people have chosen an NDP government and that’s fine.”

Despite the loss, Morse said he met enthusiasm on doorsteps and enjoyed excellent support from the Kings South campaign. “We could not have worked harder as a team.”

Looking back, Morse said, “I would not change anything. It has been an honour to represent Kings South and to be one of the longest serving ministers of the Crown. I’m incredibly proud of what we have been able to accomplish as a government.”

When asked if former premier Rodney MacDonald should resign after losing power, Morse demurred. “I’m going to leave that up to the (former) Premier.”

What’s next for Morse? “I’m going to go to bed tonight and sleep well,” he said, adding, “first, I want to congratulate Ramona and her team.”

Voters looking for change

First-time Liberal candidate Howatt observed that voters were looking for change and that change was obviously the NDP, but she is “proud of our party and its leader and those who worked beside me."

Howatt said she was grateful for the opportunity to meet the wonderful people of Kings South during the campaign and to see the Annapolis Valley at its finest in springtime.

Green Party’s MacNeill agrees. “It was apparent Nova Scotians were looking for a change and there were big changes locally, both in Kings South and in Kings North, with two cabinet ministers defeated.”

MacNeill was pleased with the campaign he ran, but disappointed in his result. The party increased its percentage of the vote to 3.67 per cent from 2.3 per cent in 2006. “We improved a little, but not as much as we would have liked,” the deputy party leader said. “It’s a little disappointing when you’re the underdog we are.”

He said the Greens “may have suffered a bit from strategic voting” and a desire by many voters to reject the MacDonald government. “If we want to be a viable choice, we’ll have to appropriately deal with that.”

MacNeill will enter the final year of a degree in Environmental Science at Acadia this fall and hopes to graduate with his B.Sc. this time next year. He said he “will continue to be politically active, both federally and provincially,” and didn’t rule out the possibility of running again in some future election.