Liberal candidate Sarah Good delivered an emotional and heartfelt speech after finishing second to incumbent Conservative MP Eric Duncan in Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry.
Duncan won re-election with 37,441 votes (56.4% of all ballots cast) , while Good, a newcomer to federal politics and a popular Cornwall City Councillor, earned 26,318 votes (39.7%).
Her result was the best showing by an area federal Liberal since 1997, when Bob Kilger was re-elected in Stormont-Dundas with 22,857, or 53.53 per cent of all ballots cast. Good also did better than Liberal hopeful Denis Moquin, who got 9,774 votes, or 23 per cent of all ballots cast, in 2021.
About 150 supporters gathered at the Knights of Columbus for the Liberal election watch party last Monday.
“This has been the most incredible journey that I have been on in the course of my life,” Good said. “Regardless of whether this was a victory speech or a concession speech, I said I would be crying, and I am living up to that promise.” She thanked her family, volunteers, and campaign team for their support, emphasizing, “This is not the end. This is just the beginning.”
Good, who was only confirmed as the Liberal candidate on March 13, noted the grassroots energy that propelled her campaign. “People walked into our office saying, ‘I want to help.’ And we put people to work immediately.”
Senator Bernadette Clement praised Good’s efforts. “Her campaign was energetic, brilliant, and heartfelt. It’s hard to lose, but her speech tonight was classy and beautiful, speaking about the future. She’s going to learn so much from this experience.”
Denis Sabourin, president of the local Federal Liberal Riding Association, expressed optimism despite the defeat. “I’m quite impressed with the foundation we built. I’m feeling very optimistic for the future of this riding and our association,” he said. On the national scene, Sabourin voiced concern about the challenges a Liberal minority government under Mark Carney will face, noting, “Everyone’s going to want a bigger piece of the pie to get things moving.”
Longtime Liberal volunteer Bruce Baker reflected on the campaign’s progress. “I’ve studied politics for a long time and never seen such a sharp turnaround in federal polling numbers,” Baker said. “The belief in Mark Carney and concerns about economic threats helped unify voters.”
Tracy Champagne, Good’s campaign manager, described the rapid momentum. “We started with a bus that barely had wheels,” Champagne said, laughing. “Then we got people on the bus, and it was moving and amazing. Meeting strong women like Sarah has been awesome.”
Despite falling short, Good remains committed to public service: “I will continue to show up. I’ll continue to listen. I’m still a councillor — and I can’t wait for the next time we do this again.”
