It was all cheers, champagne and cake at the corner of Garden City and Blundell roads Tuesday night after MLA Linda Reid was re-elected in the Richmond East riding.
After more than 20 years serving as MLA, the results of her riding weren't surprising, but it was the shocking comeback of the B.C. Liberals that had most in the office applauding.
"We are seeing history in the making here," said Reid. "This is the first time a woman (premier) has ever been elected in B.C. It's exhilarating. Men have held these positions for too long."
Although coming in third, BC Conservative candidate Nathaniel Lim's hopes were high as he talked to the News from his home office.
"I'm still happy with the way the campaign went, I had a blast," said Lim. "I hope to continue to make positive change for the community."
Going forward, Lim plans to keep people talking about politics and the issues that affect his riding.
"There are a lot of people out there interested in what's going on, but haven't had a chance to reach out to the government," he said. "During my campaign, I tried to bring the government back to grassroots, and I'm happy about that."
As Lim is preparing to get married, he's not sure if he'll run again in the future.
NDP candidate Gian Sihota was the closest contender to Reid, coming in second in the riding.
"We ran a hard campaign and a very positive one from the beginning," said the former TransLink worker. "I have no regrets. At the end of the day, it's a democracy, the people voted for what they wanted, I respect that."
Although he couldn't confirm whether he would run for MLA again, he said he would keep his options open.
During the campaign, Reid and her volunteers highlighted the difficulties of reaching out to voters through social media rather than face-to-face contact.
