Just nine months ago, amid a bullying and harassment scandal that rocked the House of Assembly, Terra Nova MHA Colin Holloway's relationship to his own Liberal Party was publicly questioned.

It wasn't the public, or the PC Opposition — it was a key minister in his own government, Andrew Parsons, who suggested Holloway consider leaving the party.That was after Holloway alleged he was shut out by then-minister Eddie Joyce, at the department of Municipal Affairs and Environment, and said he was mistreated by then-minister Dale Kirby.

But last week, Holloway received an endorsement from Liberal Leader Dwight Ball, as the pair campaigned together in Clarenville.

"He's our MHA here and he's our candidate in this district, and he deserves to be the candidate here in this district," Ball said. "He's got a lot of support in this community and I know that."

Ball and Holloway prepare themselves for an interview with reporters at the coffee shop. (Garrett Barry/CBC)

Holloway is riding the Liberal Party banner into this month's election — saying he's "absolutely" in good standing with his party, that he has Ball's ear as well as his endorsement, and that his role in the bullying and harassment scandal will help, not hurt, at the ballot box.

"When this all came forward, I heard from people in this district who said to me, 'If you're aware that these behaviours are going on, we expect you to stand up and say something. Otherwise you're supporting it,'" he said Monday.

"The things that went on in the House of Assembly required a systemic change."

Our first stop of the day lands us in Clarenville, in the beautiful district of Terra Nova with your Liberal Candidate, <a href="https://twitter.com/HollowayMHA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HollowayMHA</a> Colin’s passion for supporting his constituents is evident through his open door policy and enthusiasm. <a href="https://t.co/nn48lkRkAM">pic.twitter.com/nn48lkRkAM</a> —@DwightBallNL

While Holloway says he's proud of his record on bullying issues, his pitch to voters for the May 16 election hangs on riding-centric issues: roads, walking trails and community centres. It's what Holloway calls a "long list of accomplishments."

A bellwether district

Holloway is looking to hold his seat in what has become a bellwether riding.

The party that wins in Terra Nova has won a majority of seats in the House of Assembly in each of the last seven general elections, stretching back to 1993, even as the riding boundaries have changed in that time.

Holloway is also looking to hold on to the riding that was the closest in 2015. The race was decided by just 54 votes — a number that he and his Progressive Conservative challenger Lloyd Parrott are both very familiar with.

Are the pair expecting a similar neck-and-neck result this time around?

"The voice of the people is what's going to determine how close this race is," said Parrott. "I'm pretty confident in my capabilities."

The challenger

Parrott is a Clarenville town councillor who says he was pushed into provincial politics when considering the future of his two children.

"High taxes, high cost of living, lack of jobs," he said.

Lloyd Parrott campaigns inside a hardware store in Glovertown in May. (Garrett Barry/CBC)

The PC candidate spent 21 years in the military, first as a recruitment officer, and then as a civilian with the 103 Search and Rescue Squadron based in Gander. He says that gives him an edge.

"I've faced a lot of adversity, and I think a lot of people who get into politics haven't faced that same sort of adversity, and they change once they get in," Parrott said. "Anybody who knows me knows that I've done all my changing, and right now I'm the right person."

Parrott shakes a hand and hands out a one-page brochure as he campaigns in Glovertown. (Garrett Barry/CBC)

Parrott says his priority, if elected, is to press for more infrastructure funding to develop tourism in the district.

He also accuses Holloway of being distracted by the harassment scandal, and says he did not have "the support of his own party" which Holloway denies.

Where will the NDP votes go?

In 2015, New Democratic Party candidate Bert Blundon received 763 votes. That's far more than the number required to swing the riding from one candidate to the other.

This time around, NL Alliance candidate Barry Moores hopes he can capture those votes — or more — even if he's running a campaign that he says is on a different playing field.

Milton William Moores is the father of NL Alliance candidate Barry Moores. Milton William Moores also ran for MHA — in 1959, for the Progressive Conservative Party. (Garrett Barry/CBC)

"We're kind of not playing the same old — or playing a game at all, really — that the other parties are playing. We're basically talking about structural change," he said. "Perhaps that we might even be a bit more of a force than the original third party, as they've been viewed as third party, as still playing the same game as the same franchises, because we're something new and different."

Moores says the traditional political parties are responsible for all of the province's "boondoggle" projects, and says his party will lead to more profound change in the House of Assembly.

Moores was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993, and started using a wheelchair around 2001. Moores says he has an all-terrain wheelchair that helps when he's campaigning, and he wants to be an inspiration to other candidates with mobility aids if they decide they want to run for office. (Garrett Barry/CBC)

He's making that case to voters with a fusion of a campaign — "traditional and as old school as possible," but with a high reliance on social media.

"The other parties are able to pay like, a thousand dollars for the three weeks, for people to call around on their voters list," he said. "I mean, you know, I didn't have a thousand empties to bring in."

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