While some politicians rely on the party machines behind them to secure votes on election night, Eddie Joyce had his own devices at play.
The independent incumbent legislature member for Humber-Bay of Islands easily retained his seat in Thursday’s provincial election.
Not even combining the votes gathered by all three of his opponents would have come close to beating Joyce.
“To be at it for 27 years and for people to still put their faith in you is very humbling,” Joyce said moments after being one of the first MHAs declared elected, less than an hour after polls closed Thursday night.
This was the first time Joyce had to test the electorate as an independent candidate, having chosen not to reconcile with the Liberal party after he was found to have broken the code of conduct for elected officials when he tried to have a friend hired for a government job.
In a show of support for him, instead of the party, many ardent supporters of the Humber-Bay of Islands Liberal District Association jumped ship to campaign for Joyce again this time around.
He said that may have been crucial to his victory, but said his lifetime political record fortified the landslide win.
“Elections don’t be won in 30 days,” he said. “They (are) won in the four years prior … Sometimes when you get an unfair deal, people want to stand up for you. This is part of it also. The people in the district wanted to stand up.”
