BC Liberals MLA Sam Sullivan: Election results were a 'wake-up call'

While he’s grateful to be re-elected, Vancouver-False Creek BC Liberals MLA Sam Sullivan also recognizes just how close Tuesday night’s election was.

Sullivan found himself in a tight race against the BC NDP’s Morgane Oger, who was neck-and-neck with him for most of the evening.

Eventually, after all 97 ballot boxes reported, Sullivan won by just 560 votes.

Overall though, pending absentee ballots and recounts, neither the BC Liberals or BC NDP achieved a majority of seats and parliament is hung.

“My close race and the loss of some urban ridings is a wake up call,” Sullivan told Daily Hive.

While he praised BC Liberal Party leader Christy Clark’s province-wide campaign, he acknowledged the party “clearly” didn’t connect well enough with urban voters.

“People used to think that the BC Green Party took votes from the BC NDP,” he furthered. “But in Vancouver-False Creek the BC Greens took mostly from the BC Liberals.”

Reflecting on the campaign as a whole, Sullivan acknowledged the efforts of candidates from other parties.

“All my opponents campaigned hard and I respect all of them for being willing to stand for election,” he said. “This is truly an exciting time to be in government.”

As he looks forward though, Sullivan said the BC Liberals need to “do a major rethink” on how they can meet the needs of younger urban voters.

“We have been given a strong and painful message that this needs to be our priority.

See also

• 'This BC government is not going to last long', says political expert
• BC Election 2017: Coquitlam-Burke Mountain voting results changed after discrepancy
• BC NDP's David Eby: It's too early to be talking about a coalition government