Tuxedo flips orange for the first time as Carla Compton wins byelection for NDP

The constituency of Tuxedo in Winnipeg has flipped orange for the first time.

Carla Compton, a registered nurse, has secured the Tuxedo seat for the Manitoba NDP.

Compton won by 617 votes, garnering a total of 3,736. The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba's candidate, Lawrence Pinsky, came in second with 3,119 votes, according to Elections Manitoba's unofficial results. 

Jamie Pfau, the Manitoba Liberal Party's candidate, came in third with 575 votes. Janine Gibson, with the Green Party of Manitoba, was in last place with 118 votes.

“To say that I'm honoured doesn't quite give it justice,” Compton told reporters Wednesday following the byelection. “I take this responsibility very seriously, and I want everyone in Tuxedo and in Manitoba to know that I intend to show up every day, giving my best and learning as best I can, and that they truly do believe that I am a voice for them in this government.”

Compton's main campaign focus was health-care.

“I know the Premier and health minister have already begun starting to listen,” Compton said. “They've been doing some listening tours, and I'm very excited to maybe tag along and start being part of those as well.

“There's going to be a recruitment and retention office being created, and I'm very interested in getting involved in that as well.”

This was Compton’s second time running in Tuxedo, the other being in 2019 when she came in third.

Premier Wab Kinew said he was thrilled to see the NDP receive the support in the historically Tory stronghold.

"We just can't thank folks in Tuxedo (enough) for being so engaged, and for giving us a fair hearing and having an open mind," said Kinew.

The Tuxedo seat had been a PC stronghold since 1981 when the riding was created. In 1981, Gary Filmon, who would go on to serve as premier between 1988 and 1999, won the seat

In 2000, former premier Heather Stefanson was voted in with the PC party.

Pinsky said he would have won if the election call was later.

"It was an opportunistic call from the premier. That's what happened, and he did it in very short order. It was a tactical decision instead of substantive. Had I had a little more time, I would have won for certain," said Pinsky.

Despite being a PC seat for so long, the NDP nearly took it over in the fall 2023 election when Larissa Ashdown lost to Stefanson by 268 votes.

The seat was vacated on May 6 after Stefanson resigned in late April.

With files from CTV’s Jeff Keele.