While still a commanding victory, NDP support in the Oct. 19 2024 election, by percentage of eligible voters, slipped significantly from the last general election in 2020.
With all the ballots officially counted, Tamara Davidson garnered 4,863 of the 7,491 cast or 64.92 per cent. That compares to 72.82 per cent for her predecessor Jennifer Rice in 2020.
Conservative candidate Chris Sankey received 2,628 votes.
The total turnout of 7,491 voters was just 49.4 per cent of the 15,175 registered voters in the riding. That percentage is significantly higher than the 40.45 per cent of registered voters who cast a ballot in 2020, but still well below the provincial average of 57.4 per cent.
In the last election Jennifer Rice faced two challengers, Roy S. Jones Jr. for the BC Liberals and Jody Craven from the Libertarian Party. She garnered 4,544 votes to 1,429 for Jones and 267 for Craven.
Detailed data on voter turnout for 2024 is not yet available, but it looks like North Coast-Haida Gwaii will once again near the bottom. In 2020, the riding had the third-lowest voter turnout in the province. Only Richmond South Centre (40.12) and Richmond North Centre (40.36) had lower percentages.
The NDP has held the North Coast riding (now renamed North Coast-Haida Gwaii) since it was created from the former districts of Atlin, Mackenzie, Prince Rupert and Skeena in 1991 except for the period from 2001-2005.
With the surprising defeat of former cabinet minister Nathan Cullen in the Bulkley Valley-Stikine riding, North Coast-Haida Gwaii is the only remaining NDP stronghold in all of the North. The upstart Conservative party swept all of the other eight northern B.C. districts.
