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Joel Harden has been tasked with winning Ottawa Centre for the NDP in the provincial election next June.

Harden won the party’s nomination on the third round of voting Sunday, securing his name on the election ballot in a riding where NDP supporters believe they can pull the rug out from under the Liberals and MPP Yasir Naqvi.

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Harden is a researcher for the Canadian Federation of Students who describes himself as a community organizer.

The pressure is now on the new NDP candidate to gain wider support in central Ottawa.

The NDP won 20 per cent of the vote in Ottawa Centre in the 2014 election, compared with the Liberals’ 52 per cent.

On Sunday afternoon, NDP supporters who packed the auditorium at the Ottawa Technical High School on Albert Street seemed optimistic that 2018 is their year in Ottawa Centre. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath also attended the nomination meeting to rally the believers.

The party said more than 650 people turned out for the nomination meeting.

Harden and economist Angella MacEwen were on the last ballot for the nomination. The other hopefuls were diplomat Shawn Barber and public school trustee Erica Braunovan.

jwilling@postmedia.com

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