Progressive Conservative Andrew Dowie on June 2, 2022.  (Photo by Mark Brown)Progressive Conservative Andrew Dowie on June 2, 2022. (Photo by Mark Brown)
Windsor

Andrew Dowie turns Windsor-Tecumseh blue

A historic result in the riding of Windsor-Tecumseh where Andrew Dowie of the Progressive Conservatives has been declared the winner.

Dowie, the Ward 1 Councillor for Tecumseh, flipped the riding to the PC Party by winning 45.9 per cent of the popular vote, according to the unofficial total by Elections Ontario.

The riding in its current incarnation had never sent a Progressive Conservative to Queens Park, and that portion of Essex County had not gone blue since 1929.

Dowie, whose victory was the culmination of a campaign that began a year and a half ago, told the crowd Thursday night at the Bourbon Tap and Grill in Tecumseh no one had given him much of a chance except for his devoted group of volunteers.

“Everyone said ‘you can’t do it, you can’t win, it’s tough to raise money, it’s tough to find volunteers, you get no news coverage, the history is not on your side’. They stuck with it anyway,” said Dowie. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate them standing behind me.”

Endorsements from local representatives like Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens boosted the campaign. Dowie’s colleague on Tecumseh Council, Mayor Gary McNamara, a Liberal, also endorsed Dowie.

With an increased majority enjoyed by Doug Ford, Dowie hopes to start work on the planning for Windsor-Essex’s acute care hospital. He also would like to continue the investment that began under Ford’s first mandate.

“Economic development has already shown to be at the top of the list for this government,” said Dowie. “They have billions that were facilitated by the economic development ministry and their staff. So they’re working on a whole lot more. This government is all about bringing jobs.”

Windsor-Tecumseh was an open seat, due to the retirement of Percy Hatfield of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

A variety of polls had given the edge to the NDP’s Gemma Grey-Hall, who had history on her side. Under several classifications, the NDP had represented the riding from at least 1967 to 1999, and again from 2013. The party’s domination was interrupted by Liberal Dwight Duncan from 1999 to 2013.

The unofficial results from Windsor-Tecumseh, as of 11 p.m. Thursday and with all 69 polling stations reporting, are as follows.

  • Andrew Dowie, Progressive Conservative - 17,673 - 45.92 per cent
  • Gemma Grey-Hall, New Democratic Party - 11,532 - 29.96 per cent
  • Gary Kaschak, Liberal - 5,580 - 14.50 per cent
  • Steven Gifford, Ontario Party - 1,216 - 3.16 per cent
  • Melissa Coulbeck, Green Party of Ontario - 1,001 - 2.60 per cent
  • Sophia Sevo, New Blue Party of Ontario - 784 - 2.04 per cent
  • Laura Chesnik, independent - 202 - 0.52 per cent
  • David Sylvestre, None of the Above - 178 - 0.46 per cent
  • Nick Babic, independent - 172 - 0.45 per cent
  • Giovanni Abati, independent - 147 - 0.38 per cent
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Dowie's victory will mean a vacancy in the Ward 1 seat at Tecumseh Town Council. With the next municipal election in October, it is too soon to say how the town will handle the vacancy between now and the municipal vote.

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