Former Tory cabinet minister Percy Mockler has defeated popular Liberal MLA Burt Walter Paulin as the two incumbents battled for one seat in the new district of Restigouche-La-Vallée, which was created from two northern New Brunswick ridings in last spring's redistribution.
Mockler, considered the incumbent of the new district, captured about 53 per cent of the popular vote, with Paulin at 38 per cent and NDP candidate Alain Martel at eight per cent of the popular vote.
Mockler represented the old riding of Madawaska-La-Vallée between 1995 and 2006, when the election was called. In 2003, he easily beat Liberal candidate Claude Joseph Malenfant, capturing 65 per cent of the vote.
Mockler was serving in the wellness portfolio at the time of the election call.
Paulin was elected to represent the riding of Restigouche West in 2003. He also easily defeated his opponent in that election, capturing more than 58 per cent of the vote to unseat incumbent Tory MLA Benoit Cyr.
Restigouche-La-Vallée is a border district in the northwestern part of the province. It's mostly French speaking with a population of 12,922.
Paulin is a businessman from St-Jean-Baptiste and former executive assistant for Guy Arsenault, the federal Liberal member of Parliament for Restigouche Chaleur for nine years.
Related
| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIB | 29 | 0 | 29 | 47.10% |
| PC | 26 | 0 | 26 | 47.50% |
| NDP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.10% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .20% |
| Last Update:September 19, 1:13:13 AM ADT | ||||