The Conservative candidate lost in Ajax-Pickering, but he didn’t lose any of his optimism.
Liberal Joe Dickson won re-election in the riding, but PC candidate Todd McCarthy remained upbeat. Collecting 47 per cent of the vote, Dickson was declared the winner of the riding shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday; McCarthy accumulated just over 35 per cent of the vote.
The first-time provincial candidate personally congratulated MPP Dickson on his re-election prior to appearing at his own election party at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel in northern Ajax. McCarthy thanked his campaign volunteers, saying they had changed the foundation of the Ajax-Pickering area.
“A message for positive change resonated and there’s no question that our campaign was received,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy explained that his next challenge is to be with his son Jake, who’s battling bone cancer. He said he was proud of the effort his campaign team had made.
“I’m very, very fortunate to have so many great people surrounding me, our campaign and our message. I look forward to re-assembling this team,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy’s campaign manager, Matthew John, insisted that his candidate’s time would come.
“Todd is a fantastic candidate and I think he’s going to be around for a long time,” John said.
One of McCarthy’s volunteers, Christine John, echoed that sentiment.
“I think it’s unfortunate that it turned out this way, but the minority government we see is an indication that people were looking for change,” John said.