Report from Central Nova

I spent much of the summer in Central Nova, helping Elizabeth out in her New Glasgow office and staying at her home.  I’m completely convinced she’s going to be the next MP from Central Nova.

The lady keeps up an insane pace of attending events and meeting people in her riding while organizing and upgrading her new old house and ferrying her daughter and friends around.  She smiles, she says sensible and thoughtful things, and people respond with smiles and agreement.  She has met with business leaders, industry leaders, and folks who come by and want to talk.  She attends meetings where concerned residents express their concerns about various issues.  She attends music festivals and chats up handsome young sweaty musicians.  She rows for breast cancer.  She does daily media interviews.  She writes a biweekly column for a local paper.  The media track her.  She is always in the news.  People I met were universally supportive when I told them I worked at Elizabeth’s office.  She draws large numbers of people to parties where she meets Central Nova constituents.

But what convinced me that Elizabeth was going to win was the day the New Glasgow daily paper reported on a barbecue hosted by Peter MacKay.  Elizabeth was at a wedding in Cape Breton and didn’t attend.  Yet the short article about Peter MacKay’s barbecue ended off with the reporter asking Peter MacKay what he thought of Elizabeth May purchasing a house in his riding.  When a story about the sitting MP ends off with something about the opponent that isn’t even in attendance, you know the incumbent is in trouble.  Kind of sad, really.  It was supposed to be a cakewalk for him.

Go Elizabeth!