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Fort McMurray — Laila Goodridge of the United Conservative Party has been elected MLA of Fort McMurray-Conklin.

With all 43 polls reporting, Goodridge received 65.89 per cent of the vote.

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Despite a campaign that saw visits from Premier Rachel Notley and an aggressive social media campaign, NDP candidate and municipal councillor Jane Stroud followed with 29.53 per cent.

“Tonight, voters overwhelmingly rejected the NDP’s carbon tax, their smear and tax hike agendas,” Goodridge, 31, told media after she was declared the winner. “We’ve shown that Fort McMurray is still a strong conservative community.”

Approximately two kilometres away at the Wood Buffalo Brewing Co., Stroud congratulated Goodridge for her victory and praised former MLA Brian Jean, who resigned in March.

Despite the results, Stroud was still pleased with the number of voters that cast a ballot for the NDP.

“It didn’t go the way we wanted, but we gave them a real good race,” she told supporters. “This is a safe conservative seat and we showed them their grip is not as tight, even on their safest ridings.”