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MILTON, Ont. — Sitting in her campaign office in downtown Milton, Lisa Raitt gives a slightly weary smile when asked how many national media outlets have come to her riding this year.

“Oh yeah, everybody’s been here,” she says. “Some of the TV stations have been here a few times. One of them did a live broadcast hit.”

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As a former cabinet minister, then a Conservative leadership candidate, and now a senior MP on the front bench of the opposition caucus, Raitt is used to media attention and is very comfortable speaking to reporters. Even so, it gets a little disruptive to have a constant stream of them coming through while you’re trying to campaign, especially when you’re in a race many pollsters consider a toss-up. One recent public poll by Mainstreet for iPolitics showed the race as essentially tied.

Put your head down and work hard

Raitt is in the spotlight because she’s squared off against four-time Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden, arguably the biggest name the Liberals recruited heading into this election. His home city of Oakville, just south of the riding, named a street after him. It gives the race some star power, and that draws media attention. In 2015, the “sexy” races in the Greater Toronto Area were downtown, as the NDP’s quest for government drew high-profile candidates to take on Liberal heavyweights: Linda McQuaig versus Bill Morneau, Olivia Chow versus Adam Vaughan, Jennifer Howlett versus Chrystia Freeland. This year, the big show is in Milton.