A philosophical Lorne Nystrom didn’t rule out another comeback attempt after failing to regain the Regina-Qu’Appelle seat for the New Democratic Party Jan. 23.
The veteran of 12 campaigns said he likes to keep his options open.
Nystrom thinks the timing of this long campaign prevented the NDP from winning back seats it lost in 2004.
“We would have done better a month ago, before the Conservatives were on the rise,” he said in a telephone interview. “A lot of it is being in the right place at the right time.”
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Nystrom’s riding was one the NDP had targeted after it was shut out of Saskatchewan in the last election. But he said without a Liberal collapse, it wasn’t winnable.
The Liberal candidate, Allyce Herle, ran third.
“When you split the progressive vote, the Conservatives come up the middle,” Nystrom explained.
Andrew Scheer won the riding with 12,760 votes. Nystrom got 10,020 and Herle picked up 6,180. Brett Dolter of the Green Party earned 1,017 votes. Counts were unofficial at press time.
Nystrom said he worked hard during this campaign, knocking on more doors than ever, starting before the election was called.
“If it’s not there, it’s not there,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do.”
The Conservatives took 12 of the 14 Saskatchewan ridings and the Liberals won two.
Other western NDP hopefuls attempting comebacks included former governor general Ed Schreyer, who came second in the Manitoba riding of Selkirk-Interlake, and Svend Robinson, who lost in Vancouver Centre.
