Not all of the polls have been calculated, but the BC Conservatives seem to have won the Langley-Abbotsford riding.
Conservative's Harman Bhangu took the riding with preliminary numbers. He has 14,042 votes to his nearest competitor, NDP hopeful (and former MP) John Aldag, who has 8,436 votes with all 22 boxes counted.
Bhangu of the Conservatives has previous experience running for his party in the Surrey South byelection in 2022. An aggregate hauler by trade, he also coaches minor league football. During the campaign, the NDP seized on a leaked opposition research report that pointed to social media posts by Bhangu endorsing conspiracy theories.
"The people of Langley-Abbotsford have rejected the NDP and their damaging policies. I'm ready to represent the entire community, and look forward to the work ahead," Bhangu said in an email to Black Press Media.
On his Twitter account, Bhangu shared his thanks with voters in the Langley-Abbotsford riding.
"Thank you to every resident who put their trust in me and for those who voted for me. Those who did not, just know, I am here to represent you. My commitment is to serve all of you, first and foremost, and to work tirelessly on your behalf."
NDP candidate Aldag switched parties and jumped from federal politics to take part in the race. Aldag previously served two terms (from 2015-2019 and 2021-2024) as the Liberal MP for Cloverdale-Langley City. Earlier this year, he resigned his post to run for the nomination as an NDP candidate in Langley-Abbotsford.
In an email to The Star, Aldag said he's disappointed with the results but congratulated those who were elected.
"I hope they rise to the challenge of creating policies and legislation for the betterment of all British Columbians."
He also thanked his team of volunteers on his campaign, family, and those who voted for him.
"I believe David Eby and the B.C. NDP have the vision to meet the challenges that British Columbians face today, so will be watching closely for the final election results," Aldag said.
"I have been honoured to have served parts of Langley for seven of the past 10 years. I have no plans at this time, I was 100 per cent in on this election... I look forward to re-engaging with our community through volunteerism, which I had to step away from while holding elected office," he shared.
Karen Long, a well-known local volunteer and restaurant owner, was originally the B.C. United candidate, but was left without a party when leader Kevin Falcon shut down their campaign. Long chose to run as an independent, one of a number of former B.C. United members doing the same across B.C. She received 1,081 of the votes so far.
At a watch party in Aldergrove, Long thanked her supporters, family, and volunteers for their efforts in this election.
"My heart is overflowing from the love and support I received as I committed myself to our community to represent Langley and Abbotsford as an independent candidate," she said.
"There is much work to do, and I am not done supporting and advocating for a better Langley for everyone."
Independent candidate Karen Long speaks in Aldergrove after Harman Bhangu with BC Conservatives declared winner of Langley-Abbotsford riding pic.twitter.com/rvmoalawu8
— Aldergrove Star (@AldergroveStar) October 20, 2024
Melissa Snazell of the Green Party is a pharmacy technician studying for a degree in public policy with a focus on climate change. She received 1,393 of the preliminary votes.
"I would like to thank the community for their support in this election, I was a relatively unknown candidate but many people offered their vote to support the environment and a better future for B.C. with the Green Party," Snazell said in an email to The Star.
She added that she intends to run again in the next provincial election, and in the meantime will finish her university degree and "work to raise awareness for the issues facing our environment."
Alex Joehl is the leader of the Libertarian Party in B.C., and has run for office multiple times over the last few years at municipal, provincial, and federal levels. Joehl said during the campaign that he wants to get the views of the small-government party out to the public. With preliminary numbers, he garnered 192 votes.
In an email to The Star, Joehl commended the voter support throughout the province this election, though admitted he was disappointed, but not surprised, with his lower vote percentage in the riding.
"The new bylaw regarding election signage immensely decreased the amount of eyes I could get on my name," he said.
He added that "we can expect four more years of the same policies," due to the likelihood of an NDP alliance with the Greens.
The Star has reached out to Joehl for comment.
READ MORE: B.C. NDP projected to lead a minority government; 2 key ridings to face recount
Plenty of Langley voters wanted to cast their ballots early. According to Elections BC, more than 25 per cent of registered voters cast their ballots in each of the three local ridings during advance voting days, which began on Oct. 10 and ended on Oct. 16.
Early voting numbers for the local Langley-Abbotsford riding was 11,051 early votes out of 42,788 registered voters.
In 2020, 45,181 votes were cast in the old Langley riding, while in Langley East, 53,536 people voted.
Langley's rapid population growth has meant a re-drawing of the two old Langley ridings into three new ones.
