'Landslide Annie' expects another close race
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 | 12:24 PM ET
CBC News
Alberta's lone Liberal MP expects she'll be in another close race for her Edmonton seat.
In 2004, Anne McLellan won her Edmonton Centre riding by about 700 votes over Conservative candidate Laurie Hawn, who's in the race again.
"It's always close," McLellan acknowledged. "I have fought four elections. All of them have been close and I don't expect this one to be any different.
"We will work very hard and at the end of the day, it's up to the voters of Edmonton Centre."
Known as "Landslide Annie" for her previous squeaker victories, McLellan won by just 12 votes in her first election in 1993, followed by a 1,400 lead in 1997 and a 733-vote edge in 2000.
Hawn, a former fighter pilot, says defeating McLellan would be a coup.
"She has to take responsibility as the deputy prime minister of a government that has, frankly, let Canadians down," Hawn said. "It's time for Canadians to pass judgment on that."
Hawn says his campaign team is larger this election, while McLellan says she'll be using a formula that's proven to work four other times.
Donna Martyn is running in Edmonton Centre for the NDP, while David Parker is carrying the Green flag.
In 2004, Albertans elected two Liberals – McLellan and David Kilgour, who won in Edmonton-Beaumont and later quit the party to sit as an Independent. He is not running in this election.
Voters will go to the polls Jan. 23.
