Jamie Korab holds Waterford Valley for the Liberals with byelection victory

Jamie Korab has won the Waterford Valley byelection, keeping the seat Liberal red in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.

With all 38 polls reporting, Korab's 2,067 votes, nearly 46 per cent of ballots cast Thursday, topped the 1,423 votes for the PCs Jesse Wilkins, a former Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and RCMP officer, and the1,027for social workerNicole Boland of the NDP.

"When you ask someone to vote for you, you are asking them to put their trust in you," Korabtold supporters at his election night headquarters Thursday night, Premier Andrew Furey and other Liberalsstanding to his left.

Korab will now be theMHA representing the district, which encompasses a stretch of St. John's south, includingparts of Waterford Valley and theBowring Park area, as well as the Kilbride, Shea Heights andSouthside neighbourhoods.

Over the past 30 days, he said, he knocked on doors throughout the district, asking residents who they trusted to address the province's pressing issues from energy resource management to the rising cost of living.

"The answer has come back and it's loud and clear, in my opinion, that it's myself and team Furey."

WATCH | Korab thanks those who voted for him and those who didn't:

Jamie Korab keeps Waterford Valley red for N.L. Liberals

11 days ago

Duration 1:21

Former St. Johns city councillor Jamie Korab has won the Waterford Valley byelection, holding onto the district for the Liberals following Tom Osbornes departure.

Furey, speaking beforeKorab,said after outgoing district MHATom Osborne decided to retire, Korab was "quick to put his hand up."

"It is Newfoundland and Labrador's time to shine on a national and international stage," Furey said.

"It's been a wild three and a half weeks,"Bolandtold her supporters, who watched election results come in ata pubin St. John's.

Boland congratulated Korab on his win.

"And thank you to the residents of Waterford Valley," she said. "Being able to speak with so many of you was a privilege and joy even when the conversations were hard."

PC candidate Jesse Wilkins was watching results come in at home.

On social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter,Wilkins posted he will remain committed to serving his community with "with unwavering dedication."

"The work doesn't stop here," said Wilkins, who congratulated Korab on his victory.

Korab's win shores up the Liberal Party's majority in the House, with22 of 40 seats. The PCs hold 14 and the NDP have two, with two Independents.

The race was the fourth provincial byelection this year. In January, Conception Bay East-Bell Island voters elected Liberal Fred Hutton to replace outgoing PC MHA David Brazil.

That win was followed by two losses for the Liberals.

After the death of Liberal MHA Derrick Bragg in January, his Fogo Island-Cape Freels districtflipped blue in April to the PCs' Jim McKenna. In May, after the Liberal MHA Brian Warrleftpolitics, the PCs won again when Lin Paddock was elected to represent the Baie Verte-Green Bay district.

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