NDP wins most seats, but not them all

By Lindsay Jones - The Weekly News
The historic NDP tide wasn't strong enough to sweep away the ambitions of Andrew Younger.
In a stiffly contested race, the popular young regional councillor ousted East Dartmouth NDP incumbent Joan Massey by just 170 votes during Tuesday night's provincial election.
"Early in the evening we didn't know how it was going to go," The Liberal winner said in an interview minutes after his victory. "We saw the early returns were against us, but in the end we certainly pulled it off, and it's a credit to having a really strong and diverse team."
Younger captured 45 per cent of the popular vote while Massey, whom had held the seat since 2003, trailed with 43 per cent.
It was the first time Nova Scotians ever elected an NDP government, winning 31 of 52 seats throughout the province and electing Cole Harbour MLA?Darrell Dexter as the first ever NDP premier east of Ontario.
The Liberals claimed 11 seats, and the Progressive Conservatives managed to hang onto 10, giving the NDP the majority.
In Dartmouth, the sea of orange was status quo with the exception of Younger's win. His triumph was the only NDP upset in the province.
"It was very exciting," said Younger who watched the results at home with his wife and campaign organizer. "A lot of people said to me 'I'm voting Andrew, I'm not voting Liberal' and I think that's what politics should be about."
As for making the switch from city hall to the legislature, Younger says he's ready. Younger will still represent East Dartmouth-The Lakes until he's officially sworn in as a member of the legislature.
Of the three regional councillors who put their names on the ballot, Younger was the sole victor, something he says surprised him.
Dartmouth North councillor and Liberal candidate Jim Smith came second to NDP incumbent Trevor Zinc's 57 per cent.
NDP's Becky Kent had little competition from her rival candidates taking 65 per cent of the vote.
It was a similar situation in Dartmouth South-Portland Valley, with NDP incumbent Marilyn More taking 55 per cent. In NDP Leader Darrell Dexter's home riding of Cole Harbour, he got 69 per cent of the vote.
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